


Practical Magic

by NataIie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Animagus Reader, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fandom crossover, Gryffindor Jeon Jungkook, Gryffindor Kim Seokjin | Jin, Gryffindor Reader, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Ravenclaw Kim Namjoon | RM, Ravenclaw Kim Taehyung | V, Slow Build, Slytherin Min Yoongi | Suga, Slytherin Park Jimin (BTS), Tagging still stresses me, alternative universe, bts in hogwarts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2020-12-09 09:26:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 123,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20992517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NataIie/pseuds/NataIie
Summary: The wizarding world of Harry Potter with the boys of Bangtan worked into one slow burner! Set in the year of Goblet of Fire, will try to keep it as close to the book as possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so...this just happened. Sorry to those who are waiting on Singularity, I am getting back to Ch30 right after posting this. And I hope you'll give this a chance as you did with Sin, or even like it as much! *cue soft piano notes to Hedwig's theme*

Today was one of those days when parents plan everything down to the most minute detail. Everything thought out from when should they start making breakfast to when is the last minute opportunity to leave the house in order to reach the desired goal: no one being late. Of course, these things never really unfold the way the pair of adults wish it, accidents and errors obscuring the way of the meticulously planned agenda. 

A near scream jolted you as you scanned your room for at least the third time. Struggling not to check on whatever it was this time, you glanced at all your packed things, all clothes folded neatly, books and study equipment stacked tightly. Nothing came to mind that should be in there that already wasn’t, so with a deep inhale you turned around the room, seeing everything done. Your bed was made, the desk was cleared up, blinds rolled almost all the way down, nothing scattered or otherwise misplaced on any of the open surfaces. 

Saying goodbye to the cozy space, you closed your case, dragged it out to the corridor and closed it carefully. You won’t be back for several months, but that was okay, you were used to it by now. 

Rumbling from the staircase caught your attention and your dad appeared, running frantically to the door opposite to yours. 

“What did you forget this time?” You asked with a small chuckle playing in your tone.

“I did not forget it, I just happened to plan to fetch it now.” He winked at you as he passed your standby figure. “The car keys, by the way.”

“Makes sense they’re up here.”

“I know. I don’t get it why your mother is so winded about it.” He entered the room, his frame disappearing as his voice carried back to you.

“Is that what the scream was for?”

“No, your mom almost bumped into JK with the frying pan in hand.”

“That does not clarify who was actually screaming.”

“I’ll leave that to your imagination.” He reappeared, his practiced fingers rolling the keys around his index one. “Need help with that?” He motioned to the case towering next to you. 

“Nah, I’ll take it down. Can I put it in the car?”

“Yeah, let me open it up for you.”

The two of you made your way downstairs where you could hear your mom instructing your adoptive brother. He was probably helping with making sandwiches for the trip judging by the “ _ Please butter both sides sweetie _ !” command. His stuff was already resting by the door and your dad picked it up like it was the lightest thing ever. Only a small grunt indicated how far that assumption was from the truth when he opened the front door, shoving the trunk outside towards the waiting vehicle. A few seconds of grunting and whispered cursing passed as you fought to put both cases in the back and when finally done, the two of you smacked palms together and re-entered the house. 

“Honey, do you need any help from us? The kids' stuff is in the car!” Your dad shouted as he neared the kitchen, making you wince, both due to the loudness of his voice and your desire to dodge the tasks ahead. 

“Y/n, please make sure your dad has everything on him that he needs! I can’t tend to him now. Coats, scarfs, do you have all of those packed?”

“Okay, yes, yes and duh!” You leaned on the kitchen door frame as you answered her. She offered you a smile before you turned out to the corridor to scan through the things your dad would need. He rumbled while watching you, but did not argue against it after he asked you to look for his driving glasses, only to have you pointing to his head there the specks rested in his wild hair. 

“Noona, do you want mustard in your sandwiches?” you heard JK ask, so you strutted back to the kitchen, slamming your behind by the open seat next to him. He had a neat assortment of toppings and condiments ready to go over an almost done pile of rolls. 

“What do you have in there Kook?”

“Butter, romaine lettuce leaves, cheese, bacon and cherry tomatoes as you can see.” The boy proudly summarized your favorite things, knowing full well how spot on he was. “Mustard or no mustard?”

“Mustard  _ and _ mayo.”

“Huh, weirdo.” You placed your chin on his shoulder as you watched him squirt the two sauces on the top halves, feeling him hum something with closed lips. 

“Y/n, please fill these with some snacks.” Your mom’s hand hovered in your eyesight, holding two worn-out paper bags, her face not even turned in your direction as her silvery blonde hair cascaded down her shoulder. “The pantry should be reasonably full if you two didn’t raid it in the last few days.” 

“Okay.” You muttered as you got up, sluggishly leaving to the door in the back of the room right by the now turned off oven. “Anything goes?”

“Yeah, go crazy.”

The unmistakable scent of a shadowy panty welcomed you as you crossed the threshold, your aim guiding you by the pickled and canned goods. First you filled Kookie’s bag, putting everything in from salted nuts to chips to the banana-flavored chocolate that was his secret favorite. He never admitted it, but your mom picked up on how it was his silent comfort and kept a consistent stack at all times. For yourself, you threw in all the savoury goods flavored either sour-cream and onion or paprika, not leaving any spicy thing behind. Picking up on whatever was Kook humming, you yourself started to nod along with the tune as you went back to the others. 

A good fifteen minutes later all the food was in backpacks, your family folded into the car and on the way to the train station. The car was uncharacteristically calm, only the radio coloring the air with the current hits. Soon the station appeared on the horizon, your dad parked the car in a surprisingly good spot. Trolleys carried your things as you made your way to the right platform, the station filled with people, kids and adults alike. The number of faces you recognized grew as you passed the right wall, the noise growing considerately as your eyes took in the familiar silhouette of the big red train. 

“Now.” Your mom started behind you, halting to a stop. “Please be on your best behavior. I know it gets rowdy, and this year will be more intense than the last, but keep in mind I don’t want any letters from your teachers. I’ll send Sibney to cut your hair every month. She can color it too if you want, but I’ll tell her to keep it to natural shades.”

“Here you go again…” You shook your head, ignoring the last bit. “If you keep mentioning it, you might as well tell us what is going in this year.”

“Yeah, this makes it so much worse.” Kook added in, his doe-eyes fixed on your mom in a puppy dog sort of way. 

“Don’t look at me like that! You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“How soon is soon?” You asked, searching for breadcrumbs. 

“Maybe this month.” Your dad teased. Who knows, maybe they drop it this week.”

“The opening ceremony would make sense too.” Your mom murmured, a sly smile stretching on her features. 

“Oh, come on!” 

“Yeah, you two are such a tease!” You rolled your eyes in defiance. They have been going over this “thing” over and over again all summer. It all started back at the end of June, both of your parents completely giddy and excited about something they heard at work. Both of them have a position in the Ministry, so whatever it was could be potentially big. Their excitement died down in the following weeks, but it was still excruciating for you and your brother, curiosity eating you away. You tried out different tactics, trying to plead, randomly springing the question on them, asking while they were sleepy, wishing they would accidentally slip up, but it never happened. Most of your efforts were met with low smiles and cryptic comments. 

“Get on before you two are left behind!” Your dad barked out a laugh at your torn expressions. “You wouldn’t want to be stuck with us old folk for the whole year now, would you?”

“You’re saying that like it would be such a terrible thing.” Kook murmured as the man enveloped him in a bear hug, tightening his arms just enough to make the boy gulp for air. 

“Come here.” Your mom hugged you gently, planting a kiss on your forehead before whispering in your ear. “Don’t participate please.” 

“What?” You jerked back your head to look at her.

“What?” She looked back at you innocently.

“Did you just…” You eyed her, hearing her well enough to be puzzled by her words. 

“Come here before I get offended for not wanting a hug from me!” You felt your dad wrung his arms around you, slightly raising your legs from the ground. You yelped by the indecent show of affection in front of all the crowding people around you, your mind still racing at what your mom said. Don’t participate in what?

The train let out a huge tower of steam, making everyone on the platform busy up. Without realizing what’s going on, you were on the train, finding a free compartment, putting your stuff away, and began to search for your parents in the sea of people from the window. 

“They’re there!” You followed your brother’s pointed finger to find the rich brown head of hair that belonged to your dad, his arm holding onto the delicate frame of your mom. They waved and the train started moving with a jolt, earning more shouts and yells from both sides. The chain of cars started to turn away from the platform, rolling into an open field, leaving everyone and the building behind.

“So… here we are again.” You sat down, the familiar scent of the leather seat filling your nose. “You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to, I bet you miss your friends.”

“Nah.” Kook slammed in the seat in front of you. “A train ride without all the chaos sounds nice. Besides, the others will come soon too.” 

“Yeah...maybe.” You muttered, your gaze traveling to the landscape passing by. The boy picked up his bag and jammed in a hand, searching for something that revealed itself to be a sandwich and his sketching supplies. Not disturbing him in his work, you stared outside as your mind started to wander off, more blank than busy, calming after the early and hectic morning rush. 

The view slowly started to change from a tireless city, trickling down to more suburban areas until nature took over. The houses switched places with patched of trees, and soon the train was the only human-built thing near and far as long as the eye could see. 

A low rumble reminded you to eat your breakfast, so you took out the container where three neatly folded sandwiches welcomed you with an irresistible smell. You thanked the quietly sketching boy which he acknowledged with a small nod. 

The train ride passed without interruptions, the sun traveling from the side of the horizon to its peak and then slowly descending. Once Kook was bored with drawing, you passed the time with some games and chatter, not minding the students passing by your compartment much. Sometimes you glanced up to see a familiar face, but the one you were mostly searching for escaped you. The thought bugged a small corner of your mind, thinking that maybe this year will be similar to the last, only seeing the rectangle-smiled boy inside of classrooms rather than the outside of them. Trying to turn your attention elsewhere you slipped up on the wordplay game you were doing with Kookie, making him chuckle at your mistake. 

“Mind elsewhere?” He studied you.

“A little bit.”

“Yeah, I know that face. How much further do you think?” 

“Mmmm, it should get dark by the time we get off, so 1-2 hours maybe?” 

“Then I guess we should change. The prefects will start their rounds soon.” 

With an agreeing sound, you got up to reach your trunk. It has been a while, almost three months since you donned your robes. Placing in on top of your other things inside your trunk while packing, you slid out the material easily, the scent of your mom’s detergent wafting in the small compartment as Kookie aired out his own uniform. In a big motion, you circled the clothing around your shoulders as you slid in both arms, securing the button in the front. The fitted robe snugly hugged you and a sense of comfort washed over you as you placed your wand in the hidden strap under your wrist. 

In terms of an average Hogwarts student, you could say that you were one of the lucky ones. Both of your parents being skilled at wizardry and maintaining a good relationship with their former teachers, you were equipped with more than most students to have a nice life in the legendary castle. Sure, knowing the teachers didn’t exactly translate into them liking you as well and most definitely didn’t mean that they would go easy on you. On the contrary, most professors expected a certain level from you that you tried your best to meet. 

For this reason, you have been practicing potions with your mom twice a week over the summer,  _ every summer,  _ because for some reason you didn’t inherit her skill on the field. As far as you could tell, you were a far cry from a naturally gifted brewer, but having her by your side helped to overcome obstacles Snape planted in your way. Your first year has been a horrible experience enough that made the greasy-haired man generate an amount of loathing in your direction that most students would like to avoid. This led to a tradition of sorts with your mom when you got home during the summer holidays to help you overcome your gap and the terror the man has planted in your heart against him and his subject. 

It wasn’t exactly easy since none of the brewing made sense to you. How could a bunch of weeds and animal parts make you fall asleep just like that? It was disgusting first and foremost and overly complicated. Why don’t people just stupefy themselves to sleep if they can’t manage to do so their own natural way? Why sit next to a cauldron for hours when you could just cast a spell? Your mom laughed at all of your questions, but the laugh turned into a frown quickly once you actually tried to make a simple sleeping draught. 

Several attempts, whining and whimpering left your mother baffled and almost defeated until she had to make supper one particular evening. She gathered all the ingredients for a hearty meal while you had your forehead planted on the kitchen table, feeling sorry for yourself and your future. Once she sat down to prep for the meal, she sighed at your sad form when an idea popped into her mind. 

She taught you how to cook. 

At first, you only helped with the cutting and chopping, everything from vegetables to raw meats. By the time you got used to the different smells and textures, she showed you basic techniques. From there, you started to make meals. 

Somehow making food and making potions lined up in your head. Not everything made sense, but cutting up ingredients became more practiced and understanding the mechanics behind it helped you immensely. Thus your Potions grades crept up from D’s and P’s to at least an E. 

You were the perfect example of what Snape was preaching about when you entered his classroom for the first time. You were one of those foolish wand-waving or silly incantations reciting bunch who wished to solve everything by a simple flick of their wand. And God, how much you loved it. You loved Flitwicks Charms classes, worked your hardest on Transfiguration and excelled in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Most teachers recognized your father in your behavior, and McGonagall particularly drew close to you as a person to look up to. Her being able to transform into an animal was such a ground-shattering experience in your first-ever class with her that you have been nagging, pleading and begging her to help you become an animagus. You just had to know. It wasn’t a question of whether how will it happen, who will allow it, or what kind of paperwork has to be done. It was all about  _ when. _ There will be a day when she will come to you, nod firmly and you’ll know you are good to go. 

Thinking back, your sorting must have been an interesting scene. Your mother came from a long line of Ravenclaw’s and your grandmother was absolutely sure you’ll end up in her favorite house without a question. You wouldn’t have minded if would’ve come to that, loving the stories she used to tell you that took place in the rich blue colored common room. Your father, however, was a typical Hufflepuff, his characteristics matching the loyal and dedicated house to the T. There was a small competition on how their one daughter will be sorted, relatives going as far as betting against each other. Some say Uncle Horace has placed quite a pile of trinkets on you becoming a Slytherin. Later you learned that several Hogwarts staff members have an ongoing bet about the Sorting Ceremony based on the current batch of first years background, appearance or simply just hunch. No one knew who was the ranking victor among the professors, but you had your guesses. 

You smiled to yourself as you remembered how letters dusted your breakfast on the following morning after your sorting. Since no one was right, it was the giddiest feeling for an 11-year-old to prove all the adults wrong and becoming a Gryffindor. All the knowledge you had on the other houses were part of you, intertwined in your bedtime stories and family gatherings, but being a lion made you a holder of secrets your relatives just didn’t have. 

Everything else that came after that morning is a blur. You have grown together with the girls in your room. Came to enjoying flying, but still preferred the Floo network. And contrary to most students, you formed an unusual group of friends. 

It all started when you were staying up late into the middle of the night in the deserted crimson common room, quietly sobbing above your Potions homework while a forceful storm was battling against the windows outside. You were sure nothing you could write down on that piece of parchment could save you from the torment Snape would put you through just by his words. You wanted to do it right, you wanted to be acknowledged and not shunned for not being outstanding in something you clearly lacked at. Before you saw it coming, a second-year was standing by your tiny crying form, his kind eyes clearly pitying you before he knelt down by you. He started stroking your back and in a soothing voice, he began to calm your agony. 

Jin did his best to brighten your days from then on. His terrible jokes, windshield laugh, and overall cheerful attitude grew on you. After a particularly bad day, he snuck you out to a painting of a bowl of fruit. You watched in awe as the boy tickled the pear and a hidden door flung open, revealing a tight corridor leading to the one place you never thought about searching in the castle: the kitchen. Several dozen house elves battled for your attention, their tiny hands holding up everything from tissues for your tears to delicate desserts to cheer you up. An unspoken tradition sprung from there: you and Jin would come to the kitchen whenever the need presented itself much to the elves' happiness. 

It wasn’t long after that when Jin introduced you to a mostly silent boy with jet-black hair. You never really asked how did the loud and cheerful Gryffindor ever come to become friends with the silent and reserved Slytherin. But when he said his name in introduction you gaped at him, realizing you already know him. Yoongi was someone Uncle Horace has mentioned to you several times and turns out the old head of Slytherin talked about you too. Jin fascinatedly watched the green-clad boy become more animated as he conversed with you. The whole scene should have been heartwarming to any passerby until a third-year housemate made snide remarks within earshot about how Yoongi shouldn’t be talking to a stupid little Gryffindor brat. 

What followed was both unprecedented and unheard of, passing into one of those stories that everyone heard at least once during their years at Hogwarts. The small second year has turned towards his upperclassman and cursed him so fast that no one actually saw his wand whip out. Slytherins fighting amongst themselves was one thing, but one doing it in order to defend a Gryffindor was an absolute shock. Yoongi silently made his way to his victim lying on the ground, uttered something to the boy laying on the ground and simply walked back to you, only glancing at the present students with so much boredom in his eyes that made everyone scurry away as quickly as possible. 

You asked him what did he say on the spot after thanking him for doing what he did and he simply stated that he only said that you are one of Slughorn’s favorite relatives and he will personally make sure no one would dare to badmouth you. When you asked why would he defend you so vehemently, he just blinked.

“You are not annoying, unlike those twats.”

Soon the three of you started to hold study groups in the library, the boys working out their assignments and helping you with yours if you asked for it. Your workload started to become lighter as you picked the boys’ brain, finding handy shortcuts and pieces of information you otherwise would have been searching for long hours at end. 

It was near Christmas season when a late afternoon found your trio hunched over your books, trying to cram out the last bits of assignments before reaching your well-deserved break. A row of loud noises caught the three of you off guard followed by yells and yelps that were hushed before catching Madam Pince’ attention. Creeping towards where the sound came from, you stumbled on a second-year Hufflepuff boy helping out a Ravenclaw from your year under a pile of books. You and Jin went to assist the Hufflepuff to put away the books while the red-faced Ravenclaw apologized in every 30 seconds, his dimpled face bleeding a little where a falling book must have hit him. 

Much to Yoongi’s dismay, you returned back to your table with the pair. The Hufflepuff kick-started a conversation to get to know everyone, animatedly reacting to each answer, triggering Yoongi’s irritation. When you reached the story of how the Slytherin have defended you, he outright whooped, clapping in his amusement, coaxing groans from both the silent boy and the Ravenclaw. The two of them glanced at each other, a silent understanding forming as the Hufflepuff went on about how wonderful it is to see friends forming between houses. Yoongi cast a silencing charm on him while the Ravenclaw yanked down the now standing boy, trying to reach a state where everyone could go back to studying. 

But it was much too late for that as Madam Pince appeared without making a sound to yell all of you out of the silent library, her resonating voice following you to the end of the corridor where all five of you practically ran full throttle. Pants and heavy breathing turned into quiet chuckles and muffled giggling and thus, your group of three has turned into five. 

You started to sit with Namjoon during your classes, earning mild reactions for the unusual friendship between an eagle and a lion. As far as you knew, the three older boys did the same when they had a class together. The surprise only grew when students started to catch you studying together, all houses represented in the session. With Namjoon and Hobi coming into the picture all four houses and some staff members were left puzzled, but reactions have been pleasant mostly. Which might had something to do with the frightening aura wafting off of Min Yoongi’s bad side. 

Frost started to melt off the castle walls when one late night found you and Yoongi asleep in the library. Rudely awakening by Madam Pince’s squawking, you had no choice but scramble your things together and leave your favorite spot by the far end of the library with whiny grunts. The door closed with a loud bang behind you, the vehemency of the motion blowing your hair from your back. The Slytherin boy offered to walk to near Gryffindor tower and you accepted gladly. Silvery moonlight illuminated your way through the twisting corridors and ever-moving staircases, the cool air dryly brushing against your sleepy figures. 

Neither of you felt like talking, and a comfortable silence stretched between the two of you. You grew to understand the boy walking beside you, getting to know his warm and fuzzy side and you valued it immensely when he showed it to you. There was a sense of protection coming from him, an invisible wall that only took in those he deemed worthy against everything else outside. Maybe he wasn’t as well-spoken as Joon, comforting as Jinnie or as bubbly as Hobi, but you were a hundred percent sure he would support and protect his friends anytime against anyone. So you never turned down his offers to walk you somewhere or his help with studying, because this was his way of showing affection. You wanted him to know you understood and that is was welcomed. 

A series of noises crept from around the corner. The two of you froze a few meters away, holding back your breath, not moving a muscle. The more you listened, the more scary the sounds became. Muffled cries and grunts echoed from the other side and Yoongi slid out his wand silently, pulling you behind his back. With a series of sure steps, he made himself visible, his hand signaling you to wait by the wall. His face was unfazed for only a few seconds before understanding colored his features from shock to surprise to anger. Boiling, explosive anger. 

He pulled up his sleeves and started to flick his wand as he whispered his incantations. He slowly made his way out of your sight towards whatever he was seeing. His spells were met with yelps and sounds of pain. You listened as much as you could despite your heart pounding so wildly the pulsation distorted your hearing. As far as you could tell, there were at least 3 voices you could distinguish. The noise was sharper now, more bangs and whooshes. Then it went all silent. So silent you could feel a drop of sweat work it’s way down your back, your senses burning in high alert. 

Faint begging broke the silence that felt stretching into forever followed by Yoongi’s whispered answer. Then steps began to move toward you, but before you could get scared, Yoongi whispered in a calm voice.

“It’s okay, you can come out now Y/n.” 

So you did. And the scene that welcomed you followed you back to your bed that night and haunted for the next few. With Yoongi altogether 7 people were in the corridor. He was hunching over two clinging together, trying to coax them into showing their injuries to him. Small shivers and shakes ran through their bodies, ragged breathing raising their chests rapidly. At least one of them had to be crying because you could make out sounds of sobbing silently wafting from them. The other four figures were several meters away from the trio, judging by their looks they must have been what Yoongi was attacking when he entered the corridor for the first time. None of them moved and you guessed they were either knocked out or charmed, but you didn’t care. The four sleeping boys were all dressed in their silver and green. You recognized one of the sleeping attackers as the one who called you a little brat months ago. 

Without paying them any more attention, you walked to Yoongi, who tirelessly tried to untangle the two boys laying on the cold floor. One of them was a lanky Ravenclaw boy and the other was a chubby-cheeked Slytherin boy, both from your year. You could faintly recall them hanging out together, the only thing coming to mind about them that they were childhood friends, growing up together since they were babies. 

Not missing a beat, you knelt by the blue-robed boy and motioned Yoongi to help the green one. He nodded and paid his full attention to him from then. 

As a wild and rowdy kid, you managed to collect numerous amount of cuts and bruises over the years. One of the first signs of your magic was you reattaching an open wound on your knee after falling down. Naturally, when you got your wand, your mom made sure you knew how to remedy basic injuries because she was sure you would come across a few by your own mistake. 

Seeing the deep brown-haired boy’s injuries you had to gather everything in your mind you knew. Which was not much for an eleven-year-old fledgling witch. His lip was cut up, blood slowly creeping into his mouth as he tried to breathe through it. He was holding the other boy with one hand while his other was cradling his ribs, pulling your attention to it. You slowly started to pull out your wand from under your left wrist and the boy sharply inhaled, thinking the worst. 

Your eyes met, his terrified orbs sinking into your sad gaze. Not thinking about it, you cast a weak  _ Diffindo! _ on your extended index finger. His breathing stopped for a beat as he watched you wince a little as the small drop of blood emerged from under your skin and without breaking eye contact, you healed the cut. The gap closed, leaving only a little blood behind which you wiped in your robe quickly. Motioning your wand towards his face, you waited for a signal to proceed. 

His lips trembled, chest rising and falling again in big motions. A few beats passed as you waited for him before he contorted his eyebrows and nodded, shutting his eyes closed. 

“It’s not going to hurt healing it as much as it hurt getting it, trust me.” You assured him and closed the cut on his lip before he could respond. Surprise opened the now healed mouth and you smirked at him before you went on to fix the rest as much as you could. 

This is how you met Taehyung and Jimin, almost completing your group to become as it is now. 

_ Well, not exactly. _

Turns out, Jimin was coming from a household of muggles, leaving him oblivious to most wizard things. Tae had a witch mother, so he did his best to help his friend fit into wizarding society as much as the next student in Hogwarts, but there was bound to be a slip-up. When they arrived at the castle and passed the Sorting, Jimin was going into the Slytherin common room alone. However elaborate the pair’s stories were about their backgrounds, a few students dwelled on the topic long enough to figure out Jimin’s status in their blood system of a hierarchy. 

That night Yoongi dropped you off first near the tower, then went as far as to make sure Tae was safe in his common room too before he helped Jimin back to the dungeons. From then on as far as you could tell, he wreaked havoc within his house. You didn’t ask about it, but there was no need. If you saw something that resembled a scared look towards your jet-black haired friend, you assumed it was because they earned it.

Your first year ended with gaining 6 friends, and missing them over the summer break was a feeling you never experienced before. Finally going back to Kings Cross meant to meet them again. Introductions were made and your parents started to ask about them more and more in their letters. 

Now it was your turn as a second-year to watch the new batch of young wizards and witches take their first step into the Great Hall for the first time. Clapping joyfully to each and every sorted kid, you made your own assumptions on where will each student end up. That night you sank into your four-poster bed with a satisfied sigh. 

With your improved skills and hard work over the summer paying off in Potions, you had a fairly easy second year. One change happened during the night after the first quidditch game that you didn’t expect. In the back of your mind, you registered a first-year always hang around one of the tall windows in the common room. He was there when you left for breakfast, when you stayed up late to finish a long assignment, or when you goofed around with Jin, making most of your housemates hush you to be more quiet. 

The boy was sitting there all the time and you made up your mind to go talk to him during the celebrations because Gryffindor miraculously won the game against Slytherin because your rookie Seeker almost swallowed the Snitch. With two pumpkin juices in hand, you approached him, hopping down in the spot next to him on the window still, effectively making him jump higher than you would’ve ever expected him to be able to do. 

“Hey, I don’t bite! Pumpkin juice?” You offered one of the cups, which he hesitantly accepted. His eyes never really met yours, dancing mostly around the drink in his hand. “I’m Y/n, and you?”

“My name is Jungkook. Nice to meet you.” The boy robotically cited the words. 

“What brings you here on this fine evening?”

“Wh-what?” He looked up in his surprise, the question catching him off guard. 

“To this window. You sit here all the time. I just wondered why is that.”

“O-oh…” He looked away again, his gaze dwelling around the forest outside. “No reason, I just… I’m not… “ He sighed a little as if he were collecting himself. He looked back at you without turning his face towards you, his flickering glance checking your posture from the corner of his eye. “I’m not in the way here.” He finally said. 

“Why would you think you are in anyone’s way?” 

“I just don’t want to be. Bothering people, you know.”

“A little bothering never hurt anybody. This bunch especially.” You motioned to the crowd of lions, laughing and tumbling around each other, full of mirth and giggles. 

“Better safe than sorry.”

“Why, I’m bothering you right now, and you don’t seem to mind. Or do you?” You grinned at his profile as he stared outside to avoid your gaze. Sliding a little closer to him, you twisted your head so it would be on the edge of his vision, comically angled sideways. His eyes rounded as you got closer, the cup drawn to his chest closer, but you weren’t sure whether he wanted it out of your way or was he just holding himself more. 

“Nn-no, I d-don’t.”

“Am I the first person to bother you?” 

“No, and you’re not bothering me.” He cast a small frown in your way as you straightened back. 

“Let me guess, the twins.”

“The red-haired ones, yeah. But it was fun, sort of.”

“Well then, why don’t you come back with me? I bet Fred and George are still here somewhere, if not in the kitchen.”

“They know where the kitchen is?” For the first time, the boy showed real interest, his glance turning into a stare as he waited for your answer patiently. 

“Sure they do. And I know too!”

“You do?!”

“Wanna see?”

“Hell ye… yes, please.” He reserved himself in the last second, drawing back to himself. 

Happy with your accomplishment, you put down your cup and formed a cone in front of your mouth with your hands.

“Seokjin, food?” You yelled, earning a few whoops from the crowd. Jin fought himself over to you with a wide grin planted on his face. Grabbing both boys by the hand, you dragged them outside and introduced them to each other on the way. Jin showed interest in the boy, his reservedness igniting his curiosity and soon he overplayed his reactions to everything. At first, Jungkook was numb from all the shock the third year inspired in him, but as you neared the right painting on the deserted corridors, he started to chuckle at the older boy’s antics. 

His laugh only died down when he met the huge space of the kitchen and the elves enveloped him with food. His doe eyes rounded with wonder as his lips parted to form a perfect ‘o’ as several kinds of pastries, cakes and snacks levitated his way. 

“You looked just like him when I dragged you here for the first time.” Jin muttered to you joyfully. “At least he is not crying though.”

“Ah, I don’t know. Something is up with him.”

“Yeah, but we’ll figure it out.”

And you did. Over the course of the next few days, the youngster met each and every friend of yours, his shyness skyrocketing with each person. It took weeks for him to ease up with them the way he did with Jin. Now it was your turn to help with homework and wand movements, but he managed way better than you ever did. The boy was a wonder in his own right. Whatever he tackled, let it be an incantation or a trickier wand flick, he managed to figure it out pretty soon. The rest of the boys found it so amazing they went as far as trying out things with him that  _ they _ were currently learning. 

When he successfully performed a correct Cheering Charm on Yoongi, rendering the Slytherin a giggling mess, you couldn’t help but question how could’ve he been so withdrawn. Everything stood against that fact. His personality bubbled into a daring, ever-smiling kid, who was only shy with new people, especially girls, but reservedness was something that stood out from his list of characteristics like a sore thumb. 

A week before Christmas break that year you all went out to play in the snow. The fight got out of hand soon, charmed snowballs following their victims relentlessly. To warm up, all 8 of you ended up in the far end of the kitchen with hot chocolate in your hands. You were busy peeling off your wet hair away from your back, when the topic of Christmas was brought up, everyone listing off what they were planning for the holidays. Expectantly waiting for the youngest’s answer you glanced his direction but received none at first. When he noticed all of you waiting for him, he shrugged, stating that he is staying in the castle. 

Tae and Hobi exploded with yammering, animatedly talking about what a nice idea that was, launching into a frenzy. They didn’t notice the empty echo in the boy’s words, the lack of his enthusiasm. Yoongi met your glance and nodded before he turned to Kook.

“Why aren’t you going home?”

The boy shuffled a little in his seat, visibly awkward at the question. 

“I… don’t want to go. It’s better here.”

That shut up the loud duo quickly. A house elf froze on his way as he passed by your group, ears perking. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” You gently asked the young Gryffindor. 

“I might as well. You should know sooner or later.” He stared at the mug in his hand. “I don’t know my parents. Before coming here… I lived in an orphanage. And I don’t want to go back there. Not if I can stay here.” 

Air was sucked out from around you. An audible pop came from Jimin as his lips parted in surprise. Jungkook didn’t look up to see your reactions, his fingers whitening a little around his knuckles as he gripped the mug tighter, shoulders dropping lower as he hung his head. 

“I guess that settles it then.” Yoongi looked around expectedly.

“Yeah, I think so.” Jin nodded towards him. 

“Mmm, I’ll write home tomorrow.” You added. 

“About what?” Hobi looked at you questioningly.

“About staying in the castle for the holiday dumdum.” Joon rolled his eyes at the Hufflepuff. 

“Oh, right. I thought we are bringing him home with us.” Tae grinned. “I didn’t get how would we split the days evenly.”

“Or we could’ve just all go to Y/n’s place.” Jimin eyed you with a mischievous smile.

“Yeah, their house elf would be freaking out.” Yoongi grinned at his housemate. 

“Excuse you, Sibney would love it!” You exclaimed in an overplayed tone. “If house elves have wet dreams, that would be hers!”

“Ew!” Tae yelled.

“Why would we all go to her place, there can’t be enough room for all 7 of us.” Hobi curiously looked around. 

“Her family is combined with two of the oldest pureblood families, they probably live in a mansion. Fitting us in should be a piece of cake.” Yoongi cited. When Hobi craned his neck to display his utter non-understanding, the boy went on. “Her mom is Theresa Fawley, at least you should know her!”

“Really?”

“Aish, this kid.” Jin laughed out loud. 

Their banter went on, and you tried to over yell Yoongi’s wild exaggerations, before you noticed the same house elf from before silently tread to Jungkook, holding up a handkerchief. You left the banter immediately, squatting down next to the small boy with your arm around his shoulder. He shuddered lightly, not making a sound as he silently cried. The elf gingerly wiped his tears away as he shed them. 

“Young Master need not be scared.” 

The boy trembled at the elf’s words.

“Hey, Kook.”

“Yeah?” He croaked back weakly.

“What’s up with the tears, hm?”

“You are all so weird.”

His last sentence was heard by all of you, the boys halting with their yelling. 

“Now why would you say that?” You murmured. 

“I just told you I’m an orphan and your reaction was  _ ‘Okay, we’ll just stay here with you then! _ ’” He imitated Tae’s enthusiastic way of speaking when excited surprisingly on point despite his ragged breath. “Who does that?”

“Friends of course.” 

Jungkook looked up with his red eyes to look at Jimin smiling down at him. 

“As if we would let you stick around by yourself. Looks who's a dumdum now.” Hobi grinned. 

“And we can work around the summer holiday too.” Namjoon added. “There are plenty of days to split there, right Tae?” He nudged his housemate, whose expression brightened suddenly again. 

“Yeah, oooh, there are so many things I would love to show you. We have an arcade and there is an amusement park not too far…” 

“I thought you'd be… I thought you'd go away. When I tell you.”

“Psh, as if you could get rid of us this easily.” Jin sat down beside him, dramatically raising his voice. “Now, I think we should to rock-paper-scissors to arrange an order for the summer. I think it’s around 80 days, so he could stay a week with each of us at least.”

The young Gryffindor cried on as the seven of you planned ahead, making sure he would never have to go back to where he came from. From that point on, Christmas became a special point in your schedules. A day when everyone would make absolutely sure to spoil Jungkook rotten as much as possible. Even most of your parents sent him gifts, rendering the boy a stuttering mess every year when he woke up next to a staggering amount of wrapped boxes, baskets and paper bags. 

After a summer holiday of him traveling to different parts of the country, your parents decided to look into his background to see what would entail if they decided to take him in. A smile curved your lips when you remembered how emotional your dad was when it was time for the boy to leave your place and visit Jimin for a week. He tried to hide his sadness, acting all cheery and happy, but it was visibly upsetting him to see Jungkook go so soon. 

They didn’t tell you about their intention of adoption until they had all the paperwork ready to be filed, and by that time you were well into the first month of your third year. Your excitement blew over the tall roof of the Great Hall that morning and you barely managed not to tell anyone until your parents formally asked Jungkook to become their adoptive son. You knew the second the letter arrived later that evening in the common room because the boy was soon in your neck, happy crying and asking you to explain how he got so lucky. 

A few weeks later you and Jungkook were summoned to McGonagall’s office where your parents waited for you with the Transfiguration professor. During that small meeting, both Jungkook and his future parents signed the official statements. Not one pair of eyes stayed dry after that, even the Head of Gryffindor house sheding a few tears of her own. With that done, your parents handed over the research they did about Jungkook’s possible ancestors, going back as far as original nationality. He scanned through the documents the following weeks and decided to check traditions and history. One result of this was his habit of calling you Noona instead of sister or your name and you gladly accepted it. 

By the time you arrived with Jungkook at his new home for the first time, the house has gone under some drastic changes. The overall outside appearance of a London townhouse with decorated white window-and door frames remained unchanged, but the inside was different. It was only a shock to him how much bigger the space was on the inside, more rooms and floors crammed into the otherwise two-story-tall looking building. Fresh sets of lamps illuminated every room and space, the old cool white switched for a warm shade of yellow, which provided a much more homey tinge. A laundry room appeared, where Sibney experimented every day with the boy to find the right fragrance to wash his clothes with. The house elf made it her priority to learn everything about the new arrival, reporting back to your mom regularly. 

A new room was added right by yours, a rich shade of mahogany doors signaling the boy’s room. The crimson and gold colored space was filled with all kinds of electronic toys you have never seen in your life and when your dad came to explain what the things were, you were more puzzled than before his answers. It took all summer to discover each game, consol, and gadget. Right before the two of you arrived, your dad ordered in services that blew both of your minds. Soon you were addicted to watching TV with your new brother, experimenting with national shows to foreign things. 

Little did you know that your parents were just as hooked as you kids were. If not for avoiding unnecessary conflicts with JK, they would have battled with you for the TV rights on certain nights. Soon a pair of workmen appeared and installed a similar system in your parents' room, leaving only yours free of the series of gadgets much to your dismay. Before you started your battle for your own set, Jungkook dragged you back to his room, explaining how he would be lonely with all this stuff if he were to use them alone. 

This way weeks passed without you emerging from the boy’s room, practically staying there 24/7. It should’ve been weird how quickly the two of you got attached, not even leaving the other’s side for sleeping. At first, you thought he would be timid and afraid in a new place and stuck around late, so late that it was pitch black outside and tears spilled from your eyes as you yawned relentlessly. Mornings found you usually somewhere on the floor, covered in a blanket with a pillow under your head, Kook sleeping right next to you. Your parents found it adorable and didn’t say anything, but when it grew into a habit, they pointedly asked you two to sleep in your own beds. 

Which you tried. Really. But once you cuddled into your own bed, covered in only your own scent, you wondered how is the boy managing in the neighbouring room. Is he asleep? Is he staring at his ceiling like you? Is he even sleepy? You weren’t. Frankly, you were wide awake the minute your head fell against your pillow, despite how tired you felt seconds prior. 

A soft knock interrupted your trail of questions and their subject slipped in quickly before your parents noticed his figure in the hallway. Suddenly awkward again, he started to explain in his uncollected and bashful way what was he doing there in his oversized pj’s and messy hair, fingers fiddling behind his back. You wordlessly watched him for a minute before you scooted over and motioned for him to get in. 

You never thought about having a sibling. It was just something others had, but you didn’t and it was okay that way. You knew life as an only child. Your world consisted without having someone similar but oh so different from you. Suddenly having a younger person in the house trailing after you was unusual and disorienting in the beginning. But you knew him, and he knew you. It took a few beats and overcoming new situations you haven’t had before. It didn’t matter how you were older or how he was a boy. He slowly started to fit into the wide-spread and elaborate collective that was your family and the everyday rhythm the house dictated. 

Looking at him now, lightly moving together with the rocking train as he munched on his last sandwich, cheeks stuffed with bread, he looked like his own person. A far cry from the reserved eleven-year-old you bothered by the window 3 years ago. Rounding to his fourth year at Hogwarts, Jungkook grew into his features, his personality flourishing into a cheeky little shit on his best days, barking out laughs like your dad and flipping his hair away from his eyes like your mom. 

“What are you staring at?” He dead-panned at you before scrunching his nose while making a face in your direction.

“My cute baby brother, what else.” He rolled your eyes at your demeaning coo. “You should swallow sometimes you know.”

“Please, I could fit in this whole thing without breaking a sweat. Wanna see?”

“I would dare so bad, but I’m not sure I want to actually witness you spurt food all over the compartment and  _ me. _ ”

“Get out of the way then! Wait, what. I wouldn’t…” His voice elevated as he realized what you just said when the compartment door opened up. 

“There you are, we have been searching for you guys!” Namjoon appeared with Jin trailing behind him. “How was the holiday? I see our Y/n didn’t become a prefect.” He grinned at the absolute disgrace of a jab. 

“The castle would be burning if it would ever come to that.” Kook answered the older boy as he grinned at the two. “Where is the rest of you?”

“Oh, you know.” Jin sat down next to you, small annoyance in his words. “Hobi is occupied with Maggie. Yoongs is with Jimin and Tae. I imagine he will either throw himself out of the window or come here, whichever looks easier to him in the last second when his patience runs out.”

“That bad?” You glanced at the older Gryffindor from the corner of your eye, trying not to show much interest.

“I can’t imagine how did the Slytherin compartment became a snogfest, but based on Yoongi’s expression, he is trying to figure out the same thing.” Joon sighed beside Kookie, his head resting on the compartment’s wall as he answered you, chin high in the air. 

“Jimin tolerating it is a testament to how much of a good friend he is.” Kook shook his head. “Noona, can’t you just drown her in the toilet or something? We wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“I’m not going near her. I wish to stay away from the slightest chance to take the blame for anything that happens to her.” 

“Did he write to any of you?” Jin scanned the room full of shaking heads. “Nothing? Almost three months and not a single letter?” 

“I got a few formal lines after I got home from St Mungo’s, but I think his mom wrote it. McGonagall’s yearly shopping list is warmer than that letter.” 

“I forgot, what did you splinch off?” Jin queried.

“Just a pair of fingers, nothing major.” You replied, nonchalant about the accident.

“I never thought splinching is possible when you’re doing a group apparation, but here you are.” Joon lightly smiled at you, dimples barely showing.

“Hey, at least it wasn’t you.”

The door slammed open violently, a fuming black-haired boy standing in the compartment with faint signs of literal smoke spiraling from his ears. Without a single word of explanation, he launched himself between you and Jin, taking a bag of chips from your snack bag and started munching fiercely. 

“Anybody dead?” You asked gingerly. 

“ _ No. _ ” More chewing.

“What a pity.” Kook noted. “By the way, you never let me eat your stuff, how come he can?”

“You take it from him if you want to lose an arm in the process.” 

“Yoongs, mind stopping the fumes?” Jin casually asked the smaller boy.

“Just let me grumble for a few more minutes. It’s been excruciating there.” 

“Oh, you can grumble if you want, but your ears are emitting smoke and it’s going straight in my nose.”

“Huh. I don’t think I ever done that before.” The Slytherin closed his eyes shut, concentrating. “Is it gone?” 

“Meh.” Joon motioned with his hand in a so-so way. “What happened?”

“She started talking about stuff like marriage and kids, things like that. Don’t look at me like that Jungkook.” Yoongi let the bag down from in front of him to his lap. “And when Jimin added in bits about us being grooms, playing along with her weird fantasies, joking about Y/n putting on a suit…”

“Which I would rock of course.” 

“Yeah, whatever. She freaked. The whole thing was enough to make me run, but then she started screeching like a barn owl. Everybody left, even Jimin.”

“But what triggered her, Noona or all of us?”

“Semantics.” Yoongi muttered darkly over the snack he was planting in his mouth. 

“Wonderful.” Jin sighed as he put his back against the seat. “I guess nothing has changed then.” 

“It’s his first relationship, it’ll pass.” Joon eyed the agitated Gryffindor with a kind look in his eyes.

“Says the expert.” Yoongi jabbed after a gulping swallow. 

“Don’t be crude Yoongi.” You warned lightly, offering him some water. 

“He is fifteen years old! He should know, he should do something…” 

“He won’t. We learned as much.” Jin intercepted the boy’s ventilation. “Let’s just change the topic, I’m tired of this.”

The rest of the train ride passed with you exchanging stories about your holidays. The dishearted start led to a more cheerful conversation and soon Yoongi’s ears didn’t emit any sort of burning leftover. Everything got so much louder when the train finally jolted to a halt, students spilling out of their compartments with animated chatters. Their noises mingled with various sounds coming from hand-carried cages, creating a chaotic whirlwind of clamor.

Slightly chilly air welcomed you on the crowded platform and you crossed your arms above your chest to conserve some leftover warmth from the train. You heard Hagrid’s booming voice in the distance calling the tiny looking first years to gather in front of him. You watched them tumble across the steadily moving sea of older students making their way to the carriages. Your roommate, Katie Bell waved in your direction a car away from you, her eyes disappearing into happy crescents. The sky was littered with specks of starlight and a dominating full moon hang right above where the school should rest behind the forest. 

Not wasting much time, Kook took your hand and dragged you to the first free carriage and sat down with a satisfied hum, back straight and ear perked, ready to see the old castle again in its full glory in an utterly cloudless night. You chuckled when he imitated a jockey, acting as if the wooden vehicle moved as he commended, his fooling around earning laughs from around you as you moved on the dirt road leading through the deep forest. His antics made you forget your earlier conversation and the tug at the back of your mind, freely giggling with Jin as Yoongi joined the young Gryffindor with even more deranged behavior. Gasping for air as the carriage rounded the last curve, the castle finally presented itself, it’s countless windows brimming with bright light and inviting warmth. The towers sprang towards the inky colored sky proudly, claiming part of it as it’s own. The lake rippled and sparkled where the first years traveled over midnight blue water in tiny boats with Hagrid’s huge form trailing behind them. A faint wind tickled a few strands of hair from your shoulder in your gaze, but you didn’t mind. The painting-like view became more animated as the air gushed through the trees beside you, through your friends and classmates, reminding everyone how real this is. 

You heard a happy exhale beside you, it’s owner lacing his fingers through yours. 

“We’re finally home Noona.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liney, small gifts below! Because I just can’t help it… you happened to ask about the fic at the right time! :D  
Let the squealing begin!

“I have only two words to say to you,” The booming voice of Professor Dumbledore ended the Sorting ceremony, signaling for the students. “Tuck in.”

Countless candles levitated above your head, their flickering light more confident due to their combined work. The noise of tableware clattering came from all directions as the plates magically filled up with food, delicious smells wafting towards your unprepared nose. 

The Gryffindor table was as lively as ever. While helping yourself to a generous serving of steaming soup you were aware of several ongoing conversations discussing the summer, the upcoming Quidditch season, gossips about possible romance, and the missing Professor between Snape and Dumbledore. 

“Who do you think they got this year?” Jin asked from across the table between two mouthfuls of stew. 

“Hopefully someone competent.” You wondered out loud. “I miss the last one though, he was really nice.” 

“Are you sure he won’t be back this year? Maybe he just didn’t want to show during the feast.” Jungkook muttered through his stuffed mouth. 

“You finished a sandwich an hour ago, how could you eat so… “ Jin eyed the boy pointedly. “Wolfishly?” You chuckled at the expression. 

“I have a good appetite, it’s not a crime.” 

“Most definitely not. And for your information, Lupin is not coming back.” Lee Jordan leaned in from Jin’s left. “A lot of parents sent an owl complaining at the end of last year so he resigned before it got more out of hand.” 

“But there weren’t any dangers with him! Nobody figured it out he was a werewolf!” You whined.

“Speak for yourself, Granger knew.” The sixth-year commentator proudly noted. “Not that she found any problem with it either.” 

“Granger?” Jin asked his classmate. 

“Bushy hair, smart.” Jin still eyed Jordan when he rolled his eyes at him. “With Potter all the time.” 

“Ooh, right.” 

“How did the rumor break out last year?” Kook asked halfheartedly, his spoon messing in his bowl absentmindedly before digging in for another bite. 

“Snape.” Jin and Jordan voiced their answer simultaneously. 

“Figures.” The boy muttered under his breath. “And do we have an idea who is it this year? If it’s another celebrity I would rather learn from the Giant Squid.”

“You might take that back before we leave the Hall.” The sixth-year grinned at your brother widely.

“Lee…” You looked up at him. “What do you know?”

“Nothing certain.”

“Lee.”

“There was a small accident this morning.” He leaned in closer above his plate, voice toning down into a conspiratory whisper. “And it had to be dealt with quickly. I think it’s because a certain somebody had to leave for a new position.”

“You are talking but not saying anything, you realize that.” Jin sipped on his goblet, seemingly uninterested.

“How do you even know there was a small accident?” JK tilted his head. “Do you know someone in the Ministry or what?” 

“I don’t, but the twins…” 

“Right, hey Fred!?” You yelled over Lee’s form towards the flaming red-haired boy sitting beside him. Gaining one of the twins’ attention, you went on. “Who did your father visit this morning?” 

By the time you finished your question, two sets of identical features were paying attention to you, a glint of mischief sitting in their expression.

“Well, dear Y/n, wonderful to see you too…” Fred started off, battling his lashes in your direction. 

“...did the summer treat you right?” George finished, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“Ours was wonderful, thank you for asking.” Fred went on without missing a beat.

“Okay, right, sorry.” You grinned a little shyly. “Lee was teasing us about the new DADA teacher and I wanted to cut to the chase.”

“Patience is a virtue.” George noted airly. “In some places at least.”

“Pretty please?”

“Is your brother trying out for Quidditch this year?”

“Wh… I don’t know?” You turned towards Kook suddenly. “Are you?” 

“Meh.” He shrugged. “Should I?” 

“We do have a full team.” Jin nodded in the twins’ direction. 

“We do, but you never know. It would be nice to have some extra help.” Jordan blinked at the boy sitting beside you. 

“Try out, we’re fun.” Fred appealed.

“In a non-neck-breaking way.” George chuckled at the visibly hesitant Kook.

“So, who is it?” You tried to turn the conversation back to its original topic.

“Oh, I think it was Mad-Eye, right? A cat attacked his bins or something.” Fred turned towards George to seek reassurance. 

“And the bin attacked back.” His twin nodded as he laughed. 

“Wow.” You murmured. “That is not comforting.” 

“Who is Mad-Eye?” JK surveyed everyone curiously.

“A veteran auror.” Jin faced him with a slightly cloudy expression. 

“A  _ legendary _ auror!” Lee gaped at Jin’s introduction. “They say he filled up about half of Azkaban during his years! The man is a marvel!”

“Why call him Mad-Eye then?” Kook frowned. “All the nice-sounding names were taken or what?”

“Ugh, the cheek on this boy.” Jin rubbed his face with a hand.

“He’s got a point though.” You muttered into your pumpkin juice.

“You’ll see when he shows up.” Lee winked at Jungkook, who shrugged again, not really caring. “Mad-Eye Moody is wicked!”

“I still wish it were Lupin.” He added quietly. 

You mulled over the new information as the plates disappeared and reappeared with the dessert. Picking up a caramel apple, you took a bite as you imagined what would it be like to have a retired auror teach you Defence Against the Dark Arts, how his practical knowledge would show up during class. As far as you know or at least heard from stories, Mad-Eye was an older, battered man with slight paranoia and strictness oozing out of him. There was something about one of his eye being magical, probably his real one replaced after a bigger injury. 

“Maybe Dumbledore is helping him out, you never know.” Jin’s voice pushed you back into the present. “I think they are old friends from the war.”

“Or maybe he is trying to make Hogwarts more secure.” Katie chimed from your other side with more cheerfulness in her voice than necessary, gaining your attention. You turned to survey the girl who openly smiled at Seokjin, her eyes fixed on the boy as she went on about Moody. When the sixth year started to answer her latest remark, she tensed up in concentration, drinking in every word Jin uttered. 

_ Huh. _

Keeping your observation to yourself, you turned back to your apple which you let hang in the air in your hand as you turned away only to find Kook swiftly snip away a bite from it. The boy quickly leaned away from your surprised figure, eating his bite triumphantly open with a grin. Your growing exclamation was overruled by Dumbledore, who got up again to continue his speech. 

You irritably faced the Headmaster, vowing to get back at the boy soon after you both reach the common room, but as the speech went into a direction you heard before, you made the decision to tickle the boy while he was oblivious to your movements. As Dumbledore warned everyone about the Forest and what products specifically  _ not _ to bring in the castle grounds, you edged closer to Kook, fingers twitching to attack his sides ferociously. Holding back your breath, you turned to look at the teacher’s table and made contact. The boy jumped in his seat as you drummed your fingers on under his arms with experience, face twisting under the pressure of laughing and yelling, but keeping silent as possible as he tried to fight back. Faces turning red, viciously fighting for dominance, keeping your giggling to the lowest possible register. 

The whole ordeal should've only been visible to your close environment so it stirred up alarm in the both of you when you heard yelling coming from the twins.

“What happened?” Kook dropped his hands in your lap, gasping for air as he glanced between Dumbledore and Fred as they faced each other. 

“No quidditch this year, we are doing the Triwizard Tournament.” Jin summarized in a whisper with a hazy expression on his face. 

“The what Tournament?”

“Merlin’s beard.” You gaped at the Headmaster. Right next to his standing form was another man slumping over his seat. “Is that…”

“Yeah. A lot happened while you two got competitive.” Jin remarked with an irritated chuckle. 

“So…” You turned back towards the Headmaster.

“The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago…”The silvery bearded professor went on. “...as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities — until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued.” 

“Who the hell would want to participate then?” You murmured. Faintly recalling your mom’s words from that morning, you had to shake your head in disbelief. Of course, you wouldn’t get involved. Five minutes of fame does not outweigh the possibility of dying, no matter how prestigious the tournament is. 

“Don’t you want to?” Lee asked with his eyed rounded up. “The prize alone is…” 

“Don’t be an idiot.” Jin interrupted him. “He said death toll. As in several deaths. Of students. Do you want to die for a thousand galleons?”

“Only students who are of age — that is to say, seventeen years or older — will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This” — Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious — “is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion.”

“Impartial judge?” Jungkook parroted after the old professor. “I wonder who will it be. Who is still eligible to participate?” The boy looked at you for help.

“Uh...Sixth and seventh years who have already passed their seventeenth birthday… “ You let your head hang a bit as you thought about it. “SeokJin right here…” Said lion shook his head. “...Yoongs… Hobi is seventeen too…” Your eyes wandered around the students sitting around you. It was transparent by the way they held themselves who was in the clear to participate: the ones who were not old enough, but wanted to be, voiced their anger loudly. Those who were old enough were much more subtle, a heavy tension lingering around them. Some were sitting with their backs straight, eyes fixed on the still talking Headmaster, while others were talking with their closest friend privately. 

“Angelina might be old enough, her birthday is in the next few weeks…” Katie counted the Gryffindor girls. “I’ll have to ask Alicia, but I don’t think she would want to.” 

“What about the other houses?” Kook tilted backward to be able to look at her behind you. The casual and non-shy way he just talked to your roommate earned a slight surprise from the girl, but you just smiled faintly. 

“I think Cedric is eligible.” When seeing his confusion she added. “Hufflepuff, tall, mostly silent.” 

“Oh… “ He twisted his torso to look at the mentioned boy. “You think he would sign up for this?” 

“Why not. He is pretty strong. Quidditch captain, good grades.” You noted, also turning around. 

“Is that a crush I hear?” Lee teased, earning a dark look from you. 

“Yeah yeah, head over heels.”

“I can tell, you’re glowing with love.” 

“The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!” The Headmaster waved confidently towards the main entrance as he sat down, resuming his earlier conversation. 

The unpleasant sound of several benches being pushed back mingled with the leaving students’ chatter as they worked their way through the single way out of the hall. As you neared the stairs you made eye contact with Joon, who mouthed the word “ _ parchment _ ” over the series of heads between you two. Nodding firmly, you pushed forward with the others until the crowd shrunk down to a dozen or so lions strolling towards the Fat Lady. 

“Password?” Her familiar voice asked in a sovereign tone, one eyebrow raised as she eyed your group. 

“Um…” You looked around hesitantly. 

“It’s balderdash, I asked a prefect.” You heard someone yell from the back. 

“Very well.” The portrait flung open, letting you in. 

The sound of a strongly going fire welcomed you inside. Burgundy and crimson-colored rugs, armchairs, and tapestries warmed the space already brimming with students who have arrived earlier than you. Animated conversations sprung about the announcements and the strange new professor as you walked straight to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. 

“Hey Y/n, where are you going?” Angelina shouted after you. She was sitting right by the fireplace surrounded by most of the girls for her and your year. You quickly made an excuse, feet springing on the steps as you saw JK and Jin disappear moments before Angelina halted you. 

Running higher on the stairs than ever before, you met a door with a golden 5 sign and you tore it open impatiently. The room was almost the same as last year, your belongings resting at the end of a bed in the far right corner of the room. Quicky pacing to the suitcase you lay it on its side and began digging through your clothes. Eagerly flipping your clothes up, you tried not to jumble them together until you realized you are being silly. 

“ _ Alohomora!” _

The cabinet stretching beside your bed under the window opened all its drawers with a creak. With a steadying huff, you sat down beside the suitcase and got to work. 

“ _ Wingardium Leviosa!” _

Swishing your wand in the air, a stack of jeans floated into the air and with another flick of your wrist, they swiftly traveled above the open drawer and landed with a soft thud. More and more whips followed, emptying out your suitcase within minutes. Books and study supplied right on top, while clothes flew into drawers and shoes levitated under the cabinet. Your toiletries drifted to the side of the furniture where a small hook grew out. The last sets of cloaks and uniforms hung themselves upon the window’s knob as you pushed your now-empty suitcase under the bed, standing up from the floor. 

An empty parchment lay on the middle of the top of the cabinet which you grabbed with a large book, ink and a simple black quill. Comically landing face first in the tidy bed, you grabbed a pillow and smacked it under your chest for support, spread out the parchment with the book below it. You almost touched the tip of your wand to the upper right corner of the paper when you thought better of it and quickly closed the curtains around your bed. 

Murmuring faintly, you produced half a dozen bluebell flames to illuminate the inside of the bed and brought the paper to life. 

Ink sprung from the paper forming into lines and curves in tightly packed order. 

Y: “Is everyone here already?”

JK: ”I think Angelina stopped Noona in the common room.”

JM: “I’m here. How is everyone? Sorry for not visiting your compartment on the train.”

J: “It’s okay, one fuming Slytherin was enough. Are you okay though?”

JM: “Yeah yeah.”

Y: “I wasn’t that bad!”

N: “Who is missing?”

JK: “Noona, Hobi, and Taehyung.” 

You unscrewed the bottle of ink and dipped your quill in to begin writing quickly.

Y/n: “I’m here! Sorry for the delay, I had to get a few things done.”

J: “What took you so long?”

JK: “I bet she unpacked.”

Y/n: “Outrageous, I would never.” You chuckled a little as you finished your first sentence. “Ah, I missed this.” 

N: “I did too.” He drew a little smiling face with spots for dimples.

Y: “Wow, what is that? Did your ink spill?”

J: “Be nice! I’ve seen worse caricatures before.”

N: “Oh, come on!”

JM: “Ah, how cute! Joonie, you should draw for all of us for Christmas!” 

JK: “Are you serious?” 

You had to snort at this point. The ink bottle dangerously shook as you readjusted yourself as you lay on your stomach. The blue flames danced around you as you wrote, their gentle warmth lingering on your skin. The parchment started to stretch over the underlying book, the first few lines disappearing as you added your last sentence. 

Y/n: “Focus people. Are we going to wait for the last two or get on with it?”

Y: “Jimin, do you think we should wait for Tae? I’m pretty sure Hobi will show up sooner or later, but I wouldn’t wait for him.” 

JM: “Honestly… I don’t think he even has his parchment on him.” 

A pained noise resembling a groan developed in your throat. It was hard to tell what emotion caused it exactly as a torrent of sadness, disappointment, and anger rose in you. You didn’t want to be sad, you fought against it. Anger was right, disappointment was earned, but sadness. Sadness shouldn’t be there. 

JK: “Nice.”

N: “But not surprising.”

J: “Still disappointing?” 

JM: “He’ll get over it.”

Y: “With such naivete, you should be a Hufflepuff.”

Y/n: “At least he is still hopeful.”

H: “Aaay, who’s a Hufflepuff?”

JK: “Hooobiii!!”

H: “Hello hello. Sorry, I had to say goodnight to Maggie. How’s everyone? Y/n, finger reattached I presume?”

J: “Disappointed.”

Y/n: “Finger back where it should be. Happy Hobi?”   
H: “Happy happy Hobi. Maggie says hi to everyone! Why is Jin disappointed?!”

Y: “Guess.”

H: “TaeTae still crazy in love?”

J: “Outright ignoring us.”

JK: “Can’t you give her detention, she is in your house!”   
H: “I didn’t become a prefect to slam my own housemates Kookie. Besides, he’ll reach out when he’s over the pink cloudy phase.” 

Y: “See, Hufflepuff.” 

J: “That phase shouldn’t be longer than a few weeks, two months tops.”

Y/n: “Its been almost a year Hobs.” 

JK: “And she hates us.”

JM: “That’s not true. She just doesn’t like…”

Y: “Competition for his attention? Yeah, we get it.”

Y/n: “I thought you’re going to say me. Phew!”

Y: “Your welcome!”

N: “We’re off topic again…”

J: “Right. Does anyone want to become Hogwarts champion? We could pull off a wicked campaign!” 

JM: “Who is able to enter?”

Y/n: “Jinnie, Hobi, and Yoongs.”

J: “I don’t want to. I’m too pretty to die.” 

H: “Ah, I would rather support than compete. Whatever the Headmaster said, it still sounds like a race between schools.” 

JK: “I would enter if I could. Why not? A race is not necessarily bad.” 

Y/n: “Well, let’s thank God you can’t then. I would lock you up in the Tower for good.”

N: “Yoongs?”   
Y: “Meh.”

Y/n: “You would have a fair chance of winning.” 

Y: “No, I wouldn’t.”

JM: “But you would. You’re the best dueler among us.”

J: “And we are kind of outstanding.” 

N: “Should I be proud or awkward by that statement?”   
Y: “Says the Head Boy candidate.” 

JK: “Come on, why not? I bet a lot of people are thinking about it.” 

Y: “It’s not just dueling. The tasks are usually pretty tricky, to begin with, let alone be the best in them. And I wouldn’t want to cheat, unlike the other schools.” 

N: “Why do you think the other schools would cheat? You never met anyone from there.”

Y: “I know enough. I don’t want to compete."

Y/n: “That settles it I guess…” 

The sound of the opening door tore your attention from the parchment. Staring at the edge where the curtain reached the end of the railing, you saw someone move inside. 

“Y/n? Are still up?” 

“Yeah, just a sec.” 

Y/n: “Katie just came in, I have to go. Breakfast tomorrow?”

You saw a few of them write back their goodbye’s and you quickly shoved the now empty and folded parchment into the book. With a long motion you pulled away the curtain to find your friend sitting on the bed next to yours, feet drawing circles above her unopened trunk. 

“What’s up?” You decided to lay on your side, the bluebell flames still circling around you. 

“Ah, it’s been a while since I saw those flames.” She kindly smiled at you. “Can we skip the pleasantries?” 

“Yeah, we have written enough to each other over the summer. The tournament…” she shook her head. “...Moody…” She shook her head again. “...or a certain boy?” Her head stopped midmovement as she was caught off guard. 

“Why would you say that?” 

“You seemed pretty interested in a pretty pretty Gryffindor not too long ago.”

“Oh, Y/n, I’m not here to talk about Jungkook.” 

“Why would we talk about Kookie?” You furrowed your brows before sitting up suddenly. “You think my brother is _ pretty? _ ” 

“I won’t deny him that he is cute.” She shrugged, a little relieved by your misunderstanding. “But I don’t like younger guys.”

“No, because you like Seokjinnie.”

She gaped at you, slamming a hand on her sheets.

“Merlin! Y/n, why not shout it a little louder!” 

“Jeesh, calm down.” You chuckled at her sudden outrage. “You weren’t  _ that  _ subtle during the feast.”

“You think he noticed?” Her face contorted a little in worry as she searched your expression. 

“I’m not sure. He can be pretty perceptive if he wants to be.” She let out a defeated sigh. “But that doesn’t mean he knows you fancy him. I would be immune to all that if I were him.”

“Why?” Her voice traveled a little higher than usual, her nervousness trickling into her tone. “Are that many girls after him?”

“Not after him per se. But he doesn’t have a problem finding a girlfriend if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Does he want to find a girlfriend?” Katie curled a piece of hair around her finger as she queried. 

“Do you want me to ask him?” You raised an eyebrow daringly. 

“N-no… maybe? You don’t have to tell him who’s asking, right?” 

“Katie Bell… you thought about this, didn’t you?” 

She fell on her back in reply, hands dramatically landing beside her torso with a thud. You watched in slight awe as she whined a little and decided to lay back on your stomach to face her fully. 

“You know…” She started after she mirrored your posture, feet dangling in the air upward behind her. “I don’t want to use you like this. I know a lot of people try to. But if you don’t mind asking or looking out for me, I would really appreciate it.” 

“Look… I’m not going to lie to him. I won’t tell him who is asking, but if he finds out it’s you…” 

“You don’t have to say it’s not me.” She shook her head. “I might be relieved if it goes that way to be honest.” She rested her head on her pillow before glancing up at you. “I don’t think I could survive a confession.” 

“He would never make fun of you if that’s what you’re thinking.” 

“No, not really.” She muttered. “I just… I don’t think I could say the whole thing before I get too embarrassed. He is a year older and will be leaving next year and I…”

“Okay, don’t worry.” You gently stopped her. “As far as I’m aware, he’s not into anyone. Hardly brings up girls anyway, he is too mad about Tae. It would be a complete 180 if he started going on about girlfriends."

“Tae still absent?” She sadly asked you. 

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll see much of him.” You nodded into your hand, pouting a little. 

“I never thought it will go on this long. She is so possessive of him.” 

“Who knows, maybe he likes that about her.” A thin thread of misery laced your words as you stared under her bed, the darkness attracting your attention. 

“I don’t think so. He was sitting not too far from us and she ran over when the dessert appeared. I felt bad for him, the way the Ravenclaws had to make space for her and everything.” 

“If it were actually bad they wouldn’t be together now, would they?” 

“Maybe they don’t notice how bad it is.” 

You let your face land on the pillow. You really didn’t want to think about Taehyung this much on your first day back. 

“I think we should get to sleep.” You noted, your words muffled by the pillow. 

“You go to the bathroom first, I need to unpack.” 

Nodding at her request, you got up, your legs a little wobbly at first. Trying to keep your mind quiet, you went about showering and putting together your clothes for tomorrow while Katie packed, humming along some tune you didn’t recognize. Soon the both of you were tucked in all the way to your chins. 

Drops of water started to drum against the windows as your eyelids started to feel heavy. The inconsistent beat soothed your mind as you watched the slowly moving blue flame balls draw out circles above your bed, slowly turning into blue lines as you fell asleep.

\---------------------------

A shrill sound of a clock slammed against your ear, earning a heartfelt groan from you. A beat of silence followed as everyone in the room contemplated their situation before gathering strength to get going. You felt Katie’s legs make contact with the ground beside you first, the weight of her steps going towards the bathroom. The clock went off again and you sighed deeply, stretching your body with the exhale. 

A nice dream was holding you captive before the rude time telling tool woke you, but the details slipped through your mind like sand in the cracks. Mourning the dream, you got out from under the covers and yanked open your curtain closer to the bathroom. 

Languidly taking off your soft pj’s and putting on your selected clothes from last night, you were barely zipping up your pleated skirt when Katie zoomed past you with a bounce in her steps. 

“What’s making you so chirp in the morning?” You murmured lowly after her, a crack in your tone. 

“It’s the first day of school! The easiest time in the castle!” She chimed. 

You nodded absentmindedly, not noticing how she couldn’t have seen the action as she rounded your bed. Pulling over a long white sweatshirt over your top, you sat back down on your bed, relishing in the last bits of warmth your sleep gifted you with. 

“Hey Y/n, do you still want me to make that skin-clearing potion I made last year?” You heard your friend ask from behind you. 

“Yeah, I would appreciate it. You had one of those for hair too, right?” 

“Mmm, that was just a test. But if you ask for a recipe from your mom, I’m happy to help you brew it.” 

“Meh, maybe.” You mumbled. Getting to your feet again, you strolled slowly to the mirror and got to fix your hair and breathe some life into your features. 

“Here, use this.” Katie appeared on the side of your vision, holding up a glass container. 

“What's this?” 

“The potion from last year, just a little different. Use it as a toner with a pad and you should be fine all day.” 

“I’m not turning into different colors or anything, right?” You offered her a sleepy look, already putting some potion on a cotton pad. 

“If you do, I’ll too. I already used this today, and for like a week at home. So you should be fine too.”

“Mmhmm.” 

She floated out of the bathroom happily while you draw gentle circles over your skin. The potion tingled a little, but it was a satisfying kind of feeling. The concoction carried the scent of tea leaves and sea salt, lingering in your nose as you made your way back to your things. You quickly pulled up your socks and your boots, because who knows, maybe you’ll have to go outside. Wondering on what classes you’ll have today, you filled your leather bag with parchment, quills and two sets of ink. After a pause, you threw in your gloves and a hair tie too. 

Katie already left for breakfast, so you left the room too, closing it behind you and made your way all the way down to the common room with your black and red robes floating behind you like a cape. The common room was filled with students and you noticed Kook laying beside the fireplace with his eyes closed. Dodging your way to him, you stood above him for a beat or two, watching him snooze with his lips slightly parted. 

“What are you staring at?” He asked, eyes still closed. “You do that a lot nowadays.” 

“Just letting you sleep a little more.” You replied gently. “I heard a rumor last night about you being cute.” 

His eyes shot open and he stared at you with fascination. 

“Who said that?” 

“Somebody.” You answered curtly, grinning at how he got to his feet so fast. Without waiting for him to ask more questions you aimed for the portrait hole and left the tower with JK scurrying behind you.

“Will that person tell me to my face too?” 

“If you ask her, maybe.” You tilted your head in his direction. “But she likes someone else so don’t get your hopes up.” 

“Hmm…” He hummed lengthily. 

“Oh, no more questions?” You glanced at him as you sped down several sets of stairs. 

“Mmm, no.”

“Huh.” 

The decorated corridors and staircases led you to the noisy Great Hall, about halfway with students. The teachers' table was almost full on the other hand, only the Headmaster missing from the chair in the middle. The Head of Houses were making their circles among the students, giving out their timetables. By the looks of it, the post didn’t arrive yet as you walked between the benches to an open spot by the Gryffindor table. 

“Miss and Mr. Fawley,” Professor McGonagall’s voice drawn your attention from the other side of the table as you sat down. “Here are your schedules. Miss Fawley, you’re keeping Muggle Studies and Arithmancy, yes?"

“Yes, Professor.” You nodded at her, accepting the timetable from her outstretched hand. 

“Mr. Fawley, you are still good to go for Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies as well I presume?” 

“Yes, Professor.” Kook smiled at his Head of House warmly. “I have been meaning to ask…” Without finishing his sentence in time he made both of you and the Transfiguration professor study him for a second before he continued. “...is there any news of accepting new candidates to become an animagus?” 

You audibly gasped at his question. McGonagall thoughtfully cast a look over the both of you as she pondered over her answer. 

“Mr. Fawley… while I understand your sister’s interest in the field, may I ask why are you showing similar affections towards animagi?”

“If I understand correctly it is a process that involves trials going on for longer periods of time… and I decided I would like to support her. There is no reason for me not to try.” 

“I see.” The professor tore her gaze from his to yours, inspecting your surprised form. Her action made you realize how uncomposed you were. With a roll of your shoulders you collected yourself together as she watched you unblinkingly. “While it is good to have support, this year will he highly packed with activities. I believe you would rather focus on the Tournament than this.” 

“We won’t be paying that much attention.” The boy answered surely. “We talked about it last night, we would be viewers at most.” 

“Does this mean that neither Mr. Kim nor Mr. Min will try out for the role of champion?” McGonagall fixed her spectacles airly, her tone carrying a speck of irritation. 

“No, Professor.” 

“Very well. I’ll ask the Headmaster.” Jungkook nodded happily at her while your mouth gaped open in surprise yet again. “Don’t take this for granted, there is a lot of dedicated work and administration involved. There is a high possibility it won’t go through. Now close your mouth, Miss. Fawley before something decides to nest in it.” 

Your jaw pop with the vehemency you closed it as she instructed, earning a small curve at the edge of the professor’s tightly shut lips. With a final nod, she left towards the main table stretching in the back. 

“What the… Kook, what has gotten into you?!” 

“Nothing, I just tried something, and it worked.” He shot you a happy smile as he started to gather his breakfast on a plate. 

“But Kook, I…” You hesitantly began, head spinning. You never thought it would happen so suddenly. 

“Are you scared Noona?”

“No, no.” 

“Noona?” For the first time, he seriously looked at you, stopping with every movement to pay attention to you. “You don’t look happy.”

“I’m… “ You looked at the boy sitting in front of you as he grew more anxious. “I’m overwhelmed. Don’t look at me so scared, I just never thought… What animal do you think I am?!” The last bit almost came out as a shriek, the end of it comically high compared to your usual voice. Your brother rolled his eyes at your shattered composure and raised a hand to pat your hair. 

“I’m sure it’s something majestic as you are right now… a ferret maybe?”

The way he pulled away from you was visibly showing off how he was expecting a smack, but he carried on to be utterly startled when you buried your face in your hands with an agitated moan by the sheer thought of turning into a ferret. 

“Hey, I’ve seen some pretty nice looking ferrets out there. There are white ones too!”

“Are you trying to comfort me with that?” You whined between your fingers as you imagined. 

“Who broke her?” Jimin’s voice came from the wall, a faint chuckle coloring his voice. “Do you have double Potions this morning or what?” 

“What?” You looked up to meet his eyes. “When did you turn your hair silver?” 

“Last night. Do you like it?” He cocked an eyebrow at you and you could’ve sworn you heard someone sigh deeply. 

“Yeah, you look like a prince. I wonder whether you could pull off blue. Like a rich deep blue.” 

“Nah,” Kook remarked. “Imagine soft pink. Like that off-shoulder shirt you have.” 

“True.” 

“Don’t stare at me that much.” The Slytherin grew a little nervous as you both eyed him intently. “So what happened here?”

“I just asked Professor McGonagall about becoming animagi and she didn’t refuse. Noona hasn’t found her voice yet since then.” 

“Mmm, that would do the trick. Wait, you asked for her?” The boy asked hesitantly. “Or you asked for…”

“Both of us. Why not?” 

“Because it is overly difficult with not much benefit? Possible chance of becoming a cripple?”

“Well, if you say it like that.” 

“Jiminie, what animal do you think I would turn into?” You asked him desperately. 

“I don’t know… probably something carnivore?” 

“I would want to be some sort of bird…” Kook mulled over the question loudly. 

“Meh, imagine becoming an owl… You could deliver my letters!” He silver haired-boy grinned at Kookie, who stuck his tongue out at him. 

“I would actually like to be a carnivore… nothing against herbivore’s but I can’t imagine a good meal without meat.” You muttered as you guided a piece of toast in your mouth. 

“She is so out, it’s hilarious,” Jimin commented as he giggled. 

“What would you want to be?” Kook offered him the same question, making the boy roll back his head in thought. 

“Mmm, something agile, maybe bigger than average…” 

“I could see you as a lynx or something like that.” You noted quietly. “Maybe it’s the hair making me say that though.”

“My hair can make you say things?”

“Looks like it.” 

“Nice.” He grinned openly at you. “Seems like you are back to normal then. So, Kookie, did you tell her?”

“Tell me what?” You turned to look at your brother shifting in his seat. “Kook?”

“I still don’t think it’s fair.” 

“Why, I called dibs!”

“But she is my sister!”

“Guys, what did Jimin call dibs on? And when?!”

“After you left last night to talk to Katie…” Kook began slowly. 

“Taking you to the Yule Ball of course.” Jimin shot you a Cheshire cat grin.

_ “H-huh?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would have to imagine the boys turning into an animal, what would you choose? And what would you want to turn into? :)


	3. Chapter 3

The first few weeks days of school passed relatively fast and fairly uneventful for the castle. A new routine of classes and study schedules sprung to life from the second week and you did your best to keep up with the workload. You knew being a fifth-year had it’s… _ pressures _, but it was still surprising how much teachers talked about your upcoming OWLs as early as September. 

You were probably the only Gryffindor to prefer to share classes with the Slytherins, but not many of your housemates blamed you for it. Not that you had anything against the Ravenclaws or the Hufflepuffs, far from it, but both houses had one person that you wished not to see under no circumstances. 

Trying to not show your irritation when a certain sleek-haired blonde girl emerged surrounded by her yellow-clad housemates in a classroom, filling the air with her stories of her boyfriend was close to medieval tortures to your ears. Not only did she not care for how loud she was or how disinterested most girls seemed to be over her tales, but she also rubbed it in how his friends have disappeared when he finally found love with her. It ticked you off how every story and line felt like it was directed towards you, aimed only for your ears to fall on. The most you could do was no to give her the light of day, scribbling seemingly absentmindedly on a piece of parchment and musing on whether you could emit smoke from your ears like Yoongs did. 

“Hey, I’m sorry about her.” You heard murmuring from behind you one morning before History of Magic started. The room was almost filled with students, only missing Professor Binns to begin his current lesson. Turning in the voice’s direction, your eyes met Cedric’s kind grey eyes. “Most of us know you didn’t abandon Taehyung.” 

“Thanks for that.” You offered him a halfhearted smile. “Sometimes I truly wonder why she’s doing this.” 

“Maybe she doesn’t see it as… cruel. It might just how she sees reality.” He muttered quietly, his angular jaw supported by the palm of his hand. “Or at least I don’t think she wants to hurt anyone.” 

“Then why say we abandoned him?” You hold back the anger in your tone. “She bullied, whined and cried until there was barely anyone sticking around him. I never did anything to make her behave like that with me.” You finally looked in her direction, catching her eyes for the briefest moments that made her snicker into her palms. 

“To be fair, you guys are an unusual brunch.” His gaze flickered to yours. “I would’ve been intimidated if I were her. But I am sorry for what it’s worth.” 

This was the moment Professor Binns decided to materialize behind the teacher’s desk, making you turn back to face him, dipping your quill in ink to start writing down whatever he was saying in that monotone tone of his. 

While most Hufflepuffs were fairing quietly from their end, Ravenclaw’s were a different breed. Charms was a pleasant experience going in usually, the blue-clad students diligently practicing and following Professor Flitwick’s instructions, making most of his classes delightfully efficient. The source of your uneasiness was how Tae was behaving: not sitting with you, _ of course not, _ but he always remained close, within earshot. It irked you how you couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, but he never actually made eye contact or showed a sign of kicking up a conversation. The boy you knew was a far cry from the dark-haired student, not laughing easily anymore, not teasing and probing into your space whenever he felt like it. The bounce in his step seemed gone to you and there was no sense of happy mischief radiating from him. 

Most of his housemates addressed you with the same friendliness they did before despite their housemate’s coldness, sometimes overplaying it a bit just to compensate for the absence of his hellos, but they didn’t go out of their way to fix what could be fixed. Through Katie, you herd the general view of the eagle girls your year, but you were glad they didn’t go as far as tell you directly how stupid the whole thing was. He liked her, she claimed his time and attention, and you will not interfere with it, no matter how it hurt you or annoyed the blue-clad students. 

Because they became highly annoyed every time Charms was finished and the doors opened to let in a wail of pet names and cooing. A wave of groans and twisting faces announced the arrival of Ellie and nothing could shush her quiet beside her boyfriend’s lips. Which was on display more times than you bothered to count. These were the only moments when some Ravenclaws offered you either an eye-roll or a motion resembling puking as they shuffled around the happy couple. 

It was one of these occasions when almost everyone left the classroom as you rearranged your bag so your notes wouldn’t crumble up under the weight of the books you were carrying. The inside of your mind was filled with pleas, asking some almighty power that by the time you are done, Taehyung and Ellie would be gone, not having to share the silence of the classroom between you three. Your gaze bounced around the opposite wall as you struggled to create some sort of order in your bag and fell on the small professor. 

The Charms teacher’s mind was clearly occupied with something before he snapped out of his haze, his glance traveling from the pair to you, a realization dawning on his features. 

“Miss Fawley, I almost forgot!” He rumbled before offering an apologetic smile. “Professor McGonagall left a word for you!” 

Your hand finally emerged from your bag by the time he finished his second sentence, gaining your full attention with the topic. Your mind swept clean of anything else, you waited for the message. 

“Yes, Professor?” 

“She was in the Ministry this past weekend and wanted to let you know how your application has been received.” He beamed, coloring your Monday in all the shades of the rainbow.

“Is there a verdict? For both of us?” You gripped the leather under your fingers, abusing the material without a second thought. The remainder of noises and conversations died down, curiosity thickening in the air as you waited for the reply. 

“Yes, Miss Fawley. Both you and your brother are eligible to start on your studies to become animagi.” You gasped, suddenly feeling the need to sit down as Professor Flitwick made his way to you, happily going on. “It’s rather wonderful, I’m happy about their choice. Have you wondered what will you become?” 

“I...ah. I have no idea.” You gaped at the professor, who was clearly enjoying your reaction. “I know it is based on personality, but I really can’t fathom…” The giddy teacher reached your seat, offering you a hand to shake. 

“Well, that’s the way it usually is. I’m sure Professor McGonagall will tell you about her experience once you start your sessions.” He noted while he vigorously shook both of your offered hands. “I trust you’ll pass on the news to your brother?” 

“Yes, Sir. Thank you for… I’m...we’re studying with Professor McGonagall then?” Your eyes sunk into the older man’s, curling his wrinkles even further. 

“Of course, of course! I believe she’ll start after the delegations arrive!” 

The bubble of silence you never noticed enveloping you broke, and suddenly you could hear the other students in the room. Suddenly you felt Katie tugging at your robes, her cheery congratulations followed by Cho and her friend. You were still shellshocked as you watched Professor Flitwick make his way back to his podium, his hands merrily waving you students out. The girls pulled you to your feet and bounced on their heels as they celebrated for you, earning airy chuckles from you. They led you out to the corridor, making guesses what animal would you become and wishing you good luck. 

The small smile on your lips widened as you took in everything. 

_ It’s happening. _

The trio of loud girls noticed your change and then all of you were jumping around, spinning and half-dancing, something you would’ve never done. Blood rushed to your cheeks, your ponytail flying around and soon you realized you need to share this with the others. You stopped and whipped up your wrist to check the time, thoughts wildly running in your mind to figure out who was closest to you while the girls pulled you along down the stairs, animatedly talking about whether they should try their luck too. 

“Uh… Y/n?” A small question carried from the top of the stairs. The deep tone made you stop, jerking Cho and Katie to a halt as they had their arms hooked into yours, making Marietta stop a step below you. It took you a beat or two to turn around a look up at him, growing curious. 

“Yeah?” 

For the first time since you got back to Hogwarts Taehyung looked you in the eye. Giving you the opportunity to notice how his dark hair got a bit longer, brushing a little over his eyebrows, slight curls bouncing as he moved down a step on the stairs. He wasn’t smiling exactly, it was more restrained than that, but there was a small curve at the edge of his heart-shaped lips, threatening to pull into a grin. His hands moved around the air around him as he jogged closer before he stopped a good 4-5 steps from you, restraining the flying limbs by shoving them in the pockets of his jeans. 

“Congrats on the animagus thing! I know you wanted it for a long long time!” He slurred out the words quickly, his eyebrows raising behind his bangs as he talked, shoulders pulling up a little as his darkly colored orbs rested on your happy expression. 

You were about to thank him when you noticed a movement at the top of the stairs. Ellie stood there with a girl by her side as she hugged her books closer to her chest. She eyed you wearily, lips pressed tightly shut as she waited for the scene unfold below her. 

Dissatisfaction started to overwhelm you the second she looked at you directly. 

_ Why couldn’t she let you be, just this once? _

Tae looked at you, oblivious to his girlfriend standing not far behind him as he was verging on a happy smile and you were torn what should you do. Either you make him happier with a nice reply and thus make her angry at you, at _ him _, or give him a cold shoulder. Which will only fuel her stories more about what a bad friend you are. The whole ordeal from Tae first uttering your name to this moment wasn’t longer than a minute or two, but you felt as if time itself was stretching in front of you, making the choice more draining on what to do. 

“Thanks, Tae.” You managed out with an even voice. 

“Ellie, isn’t it wonderful?” Cho chirped on your left, her fingers tightening around your arm for a second in reassurance. The girl at the top of the stairs furrowed her brows at the raven-haired girl beside you as Tae whipped around his head to look at her. “Y/n is finally reaching one of her dreams! I bet she will be a lioness like her house!” 

A small scoff escaped her lips at Cho’s words. 

“TaeTae, we are going to be late for Divination! Come on, hurry up!” She whined, her high pitched voice in stark contrast to her cloudy expression. The boy standing not too far from you moved almost instantly, offering a small nod before he flew up the stairs. 

“And here I thought Hufflepuffs are kind.” Katie breathed out. 

“She could hardly say Y/n is the bad friend after this.” Cho arched an eyebrow after Taehyung. 

“What was that?” Ellie thundered to a higher pitch, her eyes piercing into Katie. 

“I said what I said.” Your roommate held her gaze unfazed. 

Tae froze on the last step, an arms length away from his girlfriend, his gaze dancing between her and your trio lower on the stairs colored with worry. Katie stuck out her chin a little higher, waiting for another snap. 

“Are you picking on me?” 

This was the last straw you could listen to. With a long exhale, you shook your head and tugged on the two girls to get going again, turning your backs to the couple. 

“If Hufflepuffs should be kind, shouldn’t Gryffindors be brave?” Her words pierced through you. Katie’s arm trembled once as she took in a long breath. You kept going, each step away from them ringing in your ears. “Y/n, are you running away?” 

“There is no reason to go into a losing battle.” You turned your head to look at her from the bottom of the stairs, trying your hardest not to look irked. “I’m not sure what you have against me, why would you this far to bother me. And frankly…” You looked from her to Tae before glancing back at her rigid form. “...I don’t care. Toodles!” 

With a small motion, you turned back and took a few strides towards the dungeons, one hand inside the sleeve of your robe. Katie, Cho, and Marietta took a moment before they went after you. Within seconds you heard an argument bubble at the top of the stairs and you huffed, casting a shield charm behind your back, just in case. 

“I really wanted to avoid that.” You murmured irritably. 

“Forget about her,” Marietta noted airly. “This is just her way to make herself important.”

“At least Taehyung talked to you!” Katie added. 

“Why, hasn’t he so far?” Cho asked concerned. “Is he avoiding you that much?” 

“Besides Jimin, he avoids all of us.” You shrugged, trying to make it clear you weren’t singled out. 

“He can be really dim for a Ravenclaw…” Marietta muttered. 

“Love is not that simple.” Cho shot her friend a look. “It’s not something you can reason with.” 

“Sorry.” 

You were reaching closer and closer to the Great Hall as the number of students around you increased, their noises and chatters mixing into a backdrop sound. 

“Do you have a partner for the ball?” Katie broke the silence between you, changing the topic to something brighter. The two Ravenclaws exchanged looks before Marietta answered. 

“I don’t have anyone yet. Maybe the other schools will stick around until Christmas…” 

“Oh, you are going for a Durmstrang boy!” Katie exclaimed excitedly. “I haven’t even thought about that! Cho, what about you?” 

The mentioned girl took a second before she answered, her shoulders a little stiff as she walked beside you. 

“I have my hopes. But I wasn’t asked yet.” She looked at you two to seize up your reactions, but you didn’t find anything weird in her reply. “What about you Y/n?” 

“Ah… I’m going with Jimin.” You answered easily. 

“Wai… Park Jimin?” Marietta gaped at you before breaking into a grin. “You managed to get one of the best guys in our year this early?” 

“Oh, no. No no no. Not like that.” You held up your hands defensively. “He is a friend, and he is staying just that.” 

“But how did he ask you?” Cho asked, her eyes rounding wider. 

“He didn’t.” You barked a laugh. “He called dibs.” 

The girls around you shared a look of bewilderment as you shook your head slightly at the memory. 

“I’m not sure whether I envy you or feel sorry for you,” Marietta muttered, Cho and Katie nodding in agreement. 

“Honestly, I like it this way. I don’t have to stress about who to go with if someone asks I can’t freely tell them I’m not available, and he’ll be a laugh.” 

“Envy it is.” Cho sighed. “And what about the Slytherin girls? They won’t be happy about it.” 

“Meh.” You shrugged once again. “Yoongi is still free. And the rest of them. Plus there is really nothing to worry about, Jiminie doesn’t think any more romantically about me than Kookie.” 

“You know, that is not the safest thing to say.” Katie chuckled lightly. 

“Katie Bell, I’ll slap you into next year if you don’t stop that.” You cast her a dark look. “These rumors bug the hell out of me. Just because they don’t date every available and _ not available _witch on the castle grounds does not mean…”

“Okay, okay. Jeesh.” 

“Play nice you two. Have a nice Potions class!” Cho and Marietta drifted away, waving goodbyes as they made their way to their next lesson. 

“Hey…” Katie poked at your side. “So when are you going to tell the guys?” 

“Tell them what?” You eyed her, confusion evident in your tone. 

“McGonagall. Animagus sessions.” You got dumb-struck again. “Y/n, come on!” She laughed at you as you grew giddy again.

“Aaah… I think I’ll wait for a little.” You grinned widely, an idea forming in your mind. 

\-----------------------------

Another reason why you liked to have classes with Slytherins? Because you got to share them with a certain silver-haired friend. 

Leaning over your cauldron, you happily noted how your Strengthening Solution has turned the correct shade of blue, finishing your potion in record time. Jimin swept his hair back with a lazy smile dancing on his lips as he looked around to check whether anyone else was done too. With a satisfied grin, he leaned back on his chair, cocking an eyebrow at you. 

“First again, Miss Fawley.” He murmured in a low tone. “As expected.”

“You are amusingly competitive.” You chuckled at his cocky expression. 

“Well, I’ve got things to back it up. We make quite a pair.” 

“Tell that to the girls glaring at me in the corner.” You murmured as you cleaned your desk with practiced moves. “Bottle up two samples before _ something _ happens.” 

“Don’t be like that, no one would cross my work.” He answered easily but still managed to place an extra bottle under his seat, hidden behind his green robes. 

“A little caution never hurt nobody.” You finished putting your things away, clearly indicating your state with the task towards to Potions master who was circling in the back, muttering sharp comments to his students.

“So… what will you be wearing?” The silver-haired Slytherin queried easily. “Probably something crimson, right?” 

“To the ball? It’s almost two months away!” You exclaimed at the nonchalant boy. “Red is too Christmas-y anyways” You offered him a grin. “No, I don’t think so. Why, do you think this will be a house representation thing?” 

“I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it that way.” He shrugged, shifting in his seat to face you more. “I just want to settle on a dress robe before everyone else goes into a shopping frenzy.” 

“Well, we don’t have any matching colors. Not that I would go in gold, I don’t think I can or want to pull that off.” You mulled over it, looking at the color of your skin on the inside of your wrist. “Do you have any suggestions?” 

“Hmm…” He surveyed your form carefully before he gently took hold of your chin, turning your head this way and that. You heard the muttering pick up behind you, but you let him go on anyway. “Stick with cool tones. If you go with pink I would change my hair to match it too.” He pondered loudly, earning a look from two Gryffindor boys in your row. 

“Yeah, about that…” You glanced up at his silvery locks. “Does this damage it or it’s the same texture and everything?” 

“I think so, yeah. I just have to recast it, because it tends to wither in a few days.” Jimin pulled a longer lock in front of his eye for inspection. “Yeah, see, it has a few strands of brown in it if you look closely.” 

“So it’s more of a charm than a transfiguration.” You rolled a lock between your fingers as he got his hair closer to you. “It’s pretty consistent though. Why do I have the feeling you are agitating them on purpose?” You added the last sentence as an afterthought, reading the room when you let go of his hair. 

“Why would you think that?” He leaned back in his chair, visibly triumphant with himself. “You just asked about my hair and I showed it to you.” The tone of his voice told you he was playing, hints of cheeriness leaking out of it when he raised the pitch of his voice at the wrong places. 

“Right, so if let’s say one of the Rosier twins let me know about their… dissatisfaction, it’s just their imagination, right?” You elbowed on the table still facing him, resting your head sideways on the palm of your hand. 

“I highly doubt they would do that.” He smirked. “But it might get them off my back for a few days. Do you want to color your hair?” He leaned in, picking up a loose lock from your shoulder. 

“Why are they on your back?” You pulled on a frown. “And I might. It would make it more fun.”

“Ah, you know. When girls walk in packs, talking loudly enough for you to hear, but not talking to you, but _ intending _for you to hear. Going on about the ball, how romantic it is and who they would want to go with. I’ve been hearing those a lot.” He murmured lowly under his breath, curling your hair around his index finger. “And not just from them.” He cast a sideways glance at the back corner. 

“So they don’t know you are going with me then?” He shook his head lightly. “Well, you are welcome to play with my hair then.” You aimed your head a little closer to his hand. “Why don’t you just tell them you have a partner? Wouldn’t it be easier?”

“No, I don’t want them to harass you. Sure, they wouldn’t do anything openly, but it is two months away and that is a long time to look over your shoulder constantly. Playing like this is different than telling everyone I’m taking you to the Yule Ball.” 

You hummed, not knowing what to say. 

“Besides, last time I heard I dumped a sixth year Hufflepuff girl because I got bored of her.” He went on in a disinterested tone. “I wonder whether they come up with a specific person for these stories or it just doesn’t matter as long as it rings the way they want it.” 

“Jimin-ah.” You sighed, monitoring his darkening features. “If you keep pouting like that I’ll be forced to tickle you and then we will both get detention.” 

“Na-ah, you’ll get detention. Snape loves me.” He pointed at you with a half-grin. 

“Surprisingly enough.” You mulled over it, cajoling a confused face from him. “What, your hair is too good to be one of his favorites.” 

A torrent of giggles tore from his throat as he bent over to laugh, almost tripping off his seat as he tried to muffle the sound with his hands. Chuckling with him, you turned to look at the clock to see how it was almost the end of class, lips trembling with a giggle as Jimin grabbed a hold on the table to steady himself. 

“I dearly hope you managed to finish your Solutions if you have the time to enjoy yourselves this much in _ my class. _” An unmistakable bass came from behind your back, raising the fine hairs on you. 

“Sorry, Professor.” You muttered, back straight as Snape circled around your table. He took a long look into your shared cauldron, the turquoise color of the potion reflecting on his hooked nose and greasy hair. Both of you waited with withheld breath for him to find anything to criticize, but he remained bent over your work wordlessly. Silently pulling back, the Potions master eyed you in disdain before looking at Jimin.

“I see you have completed the Solution without Miss Fawley’s unfortunate missteps, Mr Park. 5 points to Slytherin for your achievement.” 

“Actually, Professor…” Jimin started out, but lightly kicked his feet in warning. He glanced away from Snape for a fraction of a second before looking back at him. “Thank you, Professor.” He finished, pulling on a tight smile for his Head of House. 

The teacher watched him with raised brows as he talked, nodding at the forced gratitude. Before he stalked away from your table, he whisked his wand above the cauldron, emptying it from its contents. 

“Place a bottle _ each _ on my table for your grading.” He muttered lowly. “Don’t forget to label them!” His batlike figure was now standing by his desk, finger slowly tapping on the surface. His eyes scanned over the room, watching the students fiddle with small glasses before he rested them over your figure, a small curl on his pressed lips. 

“Ah, Y/n, here is my quill.” Jimin handed you his green feathered pen with a small piece of parchment. With a smooth motion, he bent down and picked up the extra bottle from under his chair, placing it right beside the one on the table with a thud. “What do you think is for dinner?” 

The corner of Snape’s eye twitched as he watched his student pick up the two now labeled bottles, stroll down with ease and put them down right in the middle of his desk. Jimin looked him straight in the eye, and with a small nod thanked him for class before turning on his heel, joining you with his bag hanging from one of his shoulders, leaving the dungeons behind. 

“About dinner…” You started off, walking on the corridor beside him. “Do you have your parchment on you?” 

“Yeah, why?” He glanced at you curiously.

“Just check it a few times. I have something to tell you guys.” 

“What? Why are you telling me just now?” He whined cutely, smacking his lips together loudly. “What is iiit?”

“You’ll see.” You curtly answered, making him whimper in distaste. 

“Awh, come on! Is it good? Is it gossip?”

“It is not gossip. Just a little news.” 

“If it’s little, you wouldn’t want to tell us so publicly. You are fishing for reactions.” 

“I would never!” You laughed out, turning to face him. He shot you a skeptical face, knowing full well how you loved seeing them all surprised. “Okay, maybe I would. You know what?”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you first.” You purely acted on a whim. He has been all protective and nice, he deserved this much. He grinned widely at your submission with sounds of satisfaction. “Sooo, Professor Flitwick had a message.”

“Okay.” He stopped walking and pulled you closer to the wall. “Go on.” 

“That Professor McGonagall was in the Ministry this weekend.”

“So?” 

“To check on my papers.”

“Yes?”

“And Kookie’s.”

“Wait, what papers?” He grimaced, making you giggle. A group of Slytherin girls passed you, shooting looks of disgust at you as Jimin pulled on your sleeve to explain. 

“Papers requesting to start on animagus studies.” 

“Nooo.” His brows escalated towards his hairline as his eyes grew rounder. “And?!”

“Aaand we are good to go! Flitwick said McGonagall will start with us after the delegations get here!”

“Y/n-ah!” He yelled. “Really? Seriously?” 

You just wordlessly nodded at him, far too happy to say it out loud. He jumped in the air before he crushed you in a hug, still yelling incomprehensive sounds as he tried to make you jump along with him. You giggled when he made you sway, almost tripping in his leg.

“Noona? What is going on?” 

Kookie’s head hovered above you from the staircase from a floor above you, his shoulders bending over the railing as his curiosity showed on his face. Still chuckling, you untangled from Jimin and just shook your head at him, making him more confused than before. 

“Tell the rest to look at their parchments, okay?” You waved the silver-haired boy off as he made his way through the crowd towards his table, a visible spring in his step. 

The noises of the lunch crowd trying to push its way through the huge doors barged at your ears as you shuffled to the far right towards the Gryffindor table. The food was already resting on plates in big piles on the polished wood and you wandered for a good few steps by the wall by the time you found a good spot almost in the middle of the row. Looking around, you found Hobi sitting beside a girl with a wild set of burgundy colored hair, talking animatedly over something with big smiles etched into their features. You could almost make out the yellow-robed boy’s noises in the crowd, funny whoops and yells blurting out of his open lips. 

Not far from them you made out Yoongi’s jet-black hair sitting opposite to Jimin, who held up his thumbs up when his smiley eyes met yours. You grinned back with a small nod, searching for the rest of them: Joon was almost all the way at the end of his table, closest to the teachers’ seats with his face scrunched up slightly. He cast his glance downwards, probably reading or waiting for something. Circling back to your own table, Jin was scanning through a long parchment with Alicia Spinnet, his long finger trailing through the words calmly. 

You didn’t notice how a pair of eyes were following you, trying to catch your attention. You didn’t notice the visible sadness that the gaze carried, nor the desperation to be seen. You only looked for people you wanted to talk to, and thus he wasn’t one of them. 

“Noona, what was that?!” Kookie practically slammed into you from your blind spot while you were watching Jin, making you step back in order not to fall. “Why were you jumping around with Jimin, was that a celebration? What is ther…” 

“Kook, sit!” You managed to whisper to him, yanking him down to his seat by his robe. 

“Okay, I’m sitting, tell me!” 

“Such an impatient little brother” You teased, fluffing up his hair. He huffed at you with a whine, glaring at you to make you tell him what caused all that ruckus back by the stairs. “I’ll tell you while eating okay?” 

He continued to glare, one hand grabbing the first solid piece of food he could pick up without looking at it, jamming it in his mouth defiantly. It only showed how lucky the kid is, because he picked a deliciously roasted chicken leg, and you heard a few people chuckle at his display. 

“Pumpkin juice?” You offered with an easy smile. He curly nodded, still staring at you with his doe eyes, taking big bites of the drumstick. Trying to take your time and not explode the news in his face, you fixed yourself a plate and took a calculated mouthful before turning back to the boy. He picked up his glass to drink while you leaned in to whisper in his ear, irking him as you waited for him to put it back down after a loud gulp. 

“McGonagall is going to start teaching us after the delegations arrive.” You withdrew from his space, watching his reaction. 

At first, he blankly looked back at you, growing more puzzled the more you grinned at him. Then a flush spread across his face, leaving his lips gaping as his eyes rounded. 

“We...We’re…”

“Yeah!”

“Really?”

“Uuuh-uh!”

“_ Really?” _

Before you could properly answer him, he enveloped you in a hug. Honestly, you thought he was going to start yelling the minute you told him, but he was rather quiet, only the vehemency of his hug telling you his truly happy he was. 

Tightening his arms further than you thought they could go, you felt something lightly break in you. It never really occurred to you how much you wanted to become an animagus. It became a normal, everyday thing for you, to chase after your Head of House, amusing and irritating her at the same time. A sort of tag game grew out of the habit, and all of your friends knew about it. All it took was a glance, and they knew you were about to go off. 

You remembered all of a sudden how Joonie and Jin sat you down in the library in your first year to walk you through what is exactly at stake here, backing it up with research, notes, and books. They weren’t aggressive about it, talking rather quietly and gently, leaving out the more gruesome illustrations. 

It came back to you how Yoongi once told you during a study session under his breath how he could picture you as a smaller wildcat, murmuring about how cuddly you can be for the right people, but promptly leaving is always there if you had enough of it. 

The time when you asked Hobi to help with Charms in third year and he started to mimic animals in your face with sounds to back him up, pulling and twisting his face to make everyone within earshot laugh at him as he got on the table to flutter his arms around. 

When you were home for the summer for the first time with Kook and you were sitting on his floor, jumbled up in blankets and watching the Lion King for the hundredth time because he loved it so much. The rain knocking on the glass as he argued how much better would it be to be like Zazu than Simba, because who cares he’s a lion when you can _ fly. _

A small shiver ran through your back as you remembered all the small moments they gave you, their support and protection leaking through their efforts to entertain your fascination to shift into an animal. 

Kook must’ve noticed, because he patted his hand on your back, rocking slightly sideways before your stomach loudly grumbled against his body. He chuckled easily, and gently pulled away to check your face. When he found none of what he was expecting, he firmly nodded and pulled your plate closer to urge you to eat. 

“What was that?” Angelina sat down across from you. “Something wrong?”

“Nah, we’re just happy.” Kook fended her curious eyes off. “Should there be something wrong?” 

“Ah, I just heard about the Ellie thing, I thought Y/n got upset over it.” 

“What Ellie thing?” Kookie glanced up from his food before snapping in your direction again. “What did she do this time?” 

“Oh, right. Uh, after Flitwick told me about the whole study sessions with McGonagall, Tae congratulated me and she got annoyed. She just stood there, whining and calling for Tae, so I just left.” 

“That is not what she is saying,” Angelina noted, pointing her full fork in your direction. “She’s telling everyone how you are picking on her and being mean to her.” 

“Yeah, interesting how that works. Tae wanted to be nice, for the first time this year I might add, and all she saw in it is how mean I am when she pulled on his leash.”

JK was silently eating beside you, not commenting at all. He pulled a face or two to show his feelings but didn’t elaborate. Angelina let it go, shrugging a little before she turned to look for someone in the maze of students. Seeing how her attention turned elsewhere, you fished out your parchment and rolled out a small portion of the top between you and JK. 

“What do you say, little brother, how should we tell the others?” You muttered under your breath as you readied your quill. 

“They don’t know?” He tilted his head to the side. 

“No, only you and Jiminie. They might see it during lunch if we figure out something quickly.”

“Then just write it down plainly.” He hummed, picking up another bite. 

“Kook?” You eyed the boy closely. He was uncharacteristically solemn for the situation. You thought he will be the biggest tease, pulling on his friend’s nerves as long as possible. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I hate her.” He murmured faintly. 

“Who? Oh, Ellie? Well, she hasn’t given us any reason to like her…” 

“She just has to ruin everything! She barged into our lives, found us unfit by whatever standards, and took our friend with her. Honestly, I wouldn’t care if she never talked to any of us. Look at Maggie, she isn’t trying to fit in with us.” He pointed towards the girl sitting beside Hoseok. “She is polite, but that is about it. And that’s fine. She makes him happy, and he is still our friend. Why can’t Taehyung see that he could still be our friend? Why does that _ witch _have to go as far as…” Not finding the right words, he just made growling and choking sounds, his eyes shooting daggers in her direction with a torrent of burning anger inside. “What did we ever do for her to hate us so much?” 

He pushed the last sentence with his whole body, agitatedly looking up at you as he grumpily hunched over the remnants of his food. Listening to him made your breathing quicken, blood pulse faster in your veins, and suddenly you felt sorry for not going off into Ellie’s face when you had the chance. You believed it would be for the best not to go into the confrontation because who would benefit from it? You don’t want to shout into the world the utter helplessness you felt. You didn’t want to admit how much it hurt and annoyed you to lose someone close to you. To a girlfriend. 

But looking at your frustrated little brother, you started to realize that maybe you were wrong. Maybe being quiet, considerate or patient isn’t helping anyone. Maybe Ellie would’ve gone off your back if you had been more vocal about the damage she’s done. 

“Noona…” His voice was strained with hints of sadness. He was looking at you, the steam out of his system. “I’m sorry, I got carried away. I know you want to ignore her. I just got angry because she turned your news into her story again.” 

“Don’t be sorry Kook-ah. And it’s your news too.” You brushed a pair of fingers through his bangs again. “But I don’t know what we could do.”

“I do.” He brushed the tip of his wand to the unrolled parchment between your elbows. “We’ll tell the others.” Turning on his mood around, he took your quill confidently and started scribbling, the noise of his writing mingling with the sharp sounds of cutlery.

He was already on his third line when you heard a very familiar ‘Yaaah!’ coming from your right, notifying you of Seokjin’s reaction. His exclamation made Namjoon, who was sitting behind the sixth year Gryffindor, look up before he unrolled a parchment under his table. His frown smoothed out once he looked up again, flashed you a dimpled smile, and started writing something down. You glanced in Jimin’s direction again, your vision brushing over a familiar set of dark curls, but you forced yourself not to pause, not to check on him. 

“Kook, what did you write?” You leaned closer to look over his shoulder, but he hid the paper. 

“That we will start learning soon to become animagus and to meet up later after classes.”

“And?” You tried to crane your neck to see better. 

“Jin wants more information, Namjoon and Yoongi said congrats. Hob…”

A loud yell made both of you snap your heads in the Hufflepuff table’s direction, where you could see Hoseok apologizing to everyone he bumped into as he sprinted out of the rows of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to take a sharp turn in your direction. 

“Y/n-ieeeee,” He cooed as he braked down right behind you and Kook, and effectively squishing you two by your shoulders as he pulled his arms around you and your brother. “I am so so so happy for you, such a good little Gryffindor, and aah, look at her little brother, helping her big sister like this, so cuuuute.” He dragged out the last word comically long, making both of you red as a tomato while half of the Hall erupted in giggles. 

“Hobi, ge-get off!” JK fought the yellow-clad boy, trying to get his arm off without any results. Soon Jin appeared by Hobi, taking his place to baby you while the Hufflepuff tended to Kookie. Trapped under Jin’s broad shoulders you gave up protesting, shutting your eye, so you wouldn’t see how everyone was snickering at you. 

“Hey, Y/n-ah, I heard you slapped Ellie, is it true?” Jin’s voice came in a whisper, a faint sliver of a chuckle dancing on the edge of his tone. 

“If you can consider leaving her hanging a slap, I guess I did.” You stopped for a second to think it over. “Are the sixth years thinking I did that?” 

Jin squatted down behind you to level his glance with yours, loosening his arms enough so only his hand was resting on your shoulder. You were sort of aware of Hobi going on bothering Kookie behind you, but you were focused on Jin’s answer. 

“Nah, not really. The girls had a laugh about it, and the guys don’t care. But I did hear the Ravenclaw’s defending you on the way here. They really don’t like that girl.” 

“Jin, seriously. Nobody believes I’m not picking on a girl who has been badmouthing us since last year?” 

“Well, if you ask it like that. There is a bet going on between the Slytherins who would win if it would come down to a catfight…” 

“Really?” You stared at him in disbelief.

“Kinda.” He shrugged. “But Yoongs put down a hefty price betting on you. So, in case you do slap her, let him know so he can collect.” 

“How much?” You pulled your eyebrows together. 

“Oh, it’s not gold. The Slytherin girls managed to corner him, so…” Jin quirked an eyebrow as he enjoyed the gossip. “... he had to agree to take one of them to the Yule ball _ if _ you lose a fight with Ellie.”

“A _ physical _ fight?” You gaped at him. 

“No, more like dueling. I think. I’ll have to ask.” His eyes wandered all the way to the Slytherin table. “But if you win, all the girls will have to leave him and Jimin alone for the rest of the school year. No rumors, schemes, you get the idea.” 

“And what if there is no fight?” You narrowed your eyes. “Why are they so sure there will be one anyway?” 

“To be fair, they have a point. You pretty much let the ball drop every time that girl starts something with you and it is highly… uncharacteristic of a Gryffindor. Alina outright said you were sorted in the wrong house.” 

“Because…” 

“Because, by her reasoning, you probably have something cooked up to destroy our sweet little Ellie when the time is right.” He met your eyes with an outrageously misplaced innocence etched into his features. 

“Seokjin, are you looking at me like this because you think _ I am _ cooking something up, or because you _ want me to? _” You arched an eyebrow, curiously waiting. 

“If you were to… take precautions, I’m sure Yoongles would love to help. But no, I don’t think you would have to do anything extra.” He leaned back a little, placing his back against the wall. “One: because you wouldn’t, two: because there is no need. That girl probably never dueled seriously in her life.” 

During the whole conversation, Jin was rather cheerful and bright, edging you to be more light. But his last sentence carried more weight than anything else he said, hints of darkness lurking in his features as he sobered up a little. It was a subtle change, but this was the first time you noticed serious resentment from the boy towards the girl who stole his friend. 

“What about Tae?” You asked him, watching as the seriousness enveloped him further.

“What about him? Do you think he asked himself the same exact question when she was ranting at or about you?” He shot back without missing a beat. “I’m sorry he is caught in-between. I’m sad he is not keeping in touch. I’m ashamed of how easily he let go. And I’m irritated how he is not trying.” He finished with a long exhale, the air making his hair move away from his eyes. 

“But.” He stuck his flat palm right in front of your face. “That is enough of that. You are turning into a cute little cub or kit in a few months and I can’t wait to carry you around in my coat.” 

The sound of several benches being pushed back alerted you that lunch is finished as everyone around you stood up to leave. You whipped up your bag from your leg, while Kook handed you your parchment and jogged off to Care of Magical Creatures class with a small wave. His shoulder’s still seemed tense as he disappeared in the sea of students. 

“Jinnie, what if I don’t fit in your pocket? Will you still carry me around in your coat?” You teased the boy walking beside you. 

“Oh, we can make you smaller so you could curl up in here.” Hobi matched your pace on your other side while pointing to his bag. “I could make it nice and cozy with a sweater or a fluffy scarf. Your brother, on the other hand, I’m sure he will be something huge.” The Hufflepuff shuddered at the possibilities. 

“Why is that? I’m the older one, I should be the bigger species!” 

“You are more delicate, he is strong and is growing like a weed,” Jin noted nonchalantly. “If he reaches my height by the end of the year, we are so done for. I can’t make him behave after that.” 

All three of you took the stairs leading to the first floor as most of the student population started to die down around you. You were heading towards the second floor for your Arithmancy class, while the boys aimed for the library to catch up on their homework. 

“Y/n-ah, slow down.” You heard a low voice behind you. “I was wondering whether you want to practice a little dueling.” A messy pile of black hair was walking towards you indicating Yoongi. 

“So you won’t have to take any girl to the ball?” You stuck your tongue out at his surprised face. “So you think I would lose, how nice.”

“Not exactly because of the bet.” He defended slowly before he looked at the two older boys on either side of you, settling his glance at Jin. “Traitor!” 

“Did you just use Legilimency on me?” The Gryffindor raised his voice, scandalized. 

“Your ears turn red when you lie.” More gasps. “Even if they wouldn’t, you pretty much confirmed it. Anyway, Y/n, you up for it?” He tilted his head slightly in question at you. 

“I… I don’t know? Why would I need it besides Ellie?” 

“It comes in handy either way. Plus, we are having guests in a few days and I really don’t like the idea of you going on your day with dozens of Durmstrang guys around.”

“I don’t think they would do…” Hobi started out, fazed a little with the idea. 

“I’m not going to bet on an ‘I don’t think so’” Yoongi pulled one of his slim shoulders higher to let it drop back as he started walking beside the three of you. “I asked Snape to secure a room for duel practices.”

“Isn’t this whole Tournament thing about making connections and stuff?” You asked a little timidly. You knew students above the age of 17 would be only coming, but you couldn’t remember for the life of you how many would actually arrive at the castle’s doorstep. 

“Doesn’t Y/n need to focus on her OWLs instead of dueling though?” Hobi wondered out loud, his eyes fixed ahead of him in denial. 

“Theoretically yes. I’m sure Dumbledore would agree. And I would be highly surprised if she isn’t keeping up with her studies.” Yoongi frowned at Hobi while you nodded before he went on. “But the Durmstrang principal is an ex-death eater, their curriculum is way darker than ours and if that is not enough for you, Grindelwald was a Durmstrang student before he was expelled.” 

“Who else did you ask?” Jin asked in a low tone, his eyes fixed on the smaller boy. 

“I told Joon, Jimin and I’ll ask Kook. Alina heard me ask Snape, so she might show up, but I don’t think she’ll bother.” 

“This is the second time I hear her name combined with yours.” You eyed the Slytherin. “Is this a thing?” 

“Not that I know of.” He nonchalantly replied. “You, on the other hand, did you…

“She didn’t slap her, no,” Jin answered before he could finish. “But she is aware and I’m sure she’ll handle herself properly.” 

“Meaning…?” Hobi’s gaze flickered from Jin to Yoongi to you only to rest on the Gryffindor again. “Who didn’t Y/n-ie slap?”

“We’ll tell you later after classes.” Jin sighed. 

“Not that it’s hard to guess,” Yoongs added. 

“To think you believe there is more than one candidate…” You noted with a slight disappointment. 

“I know.” Yoongi sighed. 

“The naivete.” Jin inserted. 

“Such a Hufflepuff.”

“Guys, come on!”


	4. Chapter 4

Frost had its sparkling teeth bared and ready to bite on the first day of November, drawing ice flowers on the windows. The castle changed under a single day, no longer filled with Hogwarts students only. Busting with conversations in French and a weird language you have never heard actively spoken before, it was supposed to sharpen your guard trying to pick up any incantations directed towards you. Or at least according to Yoongi it should have. But as far as you were able to determine, no one was particularly bad intended from the delegations. Maybe some of the guests didn’t view Hogwarts as a… cozy place like you did, but hey, maybe the French like it differently. 

News traveled fast when they first arrived, going as far as one of the Beauxbaton’s girls is a veela because she was so breathtaking. Seeing how all of your friends were busting with chatter one second and absolutely awestruck the next when she passed by confirmed the theory. If 6 pretty different boys were knocked out of the park by the same individual, having Kim Seokjin  _ and _ Min Yoongi among them, she couldn’t not be a veela. You had to shove an elbow under the latter’s ribcage to make him snap out of it before his open mouth produced something more than a daydreaming sigh only so the two of you could snicker at the rest of the spellbound boys as the flock of powder blue-robed girls glided by followed by their towering Headmistress. 

But she wasn’t the only surprise the foreign schools held. Gasps, shrieks and undignified howls followed the weird form of a person as he drew near the castle walls which turned out to be a quidditch sensation with the biggest hooked nose you have ever seen. And you have been training under Snape for years. The boy was leading a group of boys into the castle with a closed-off look and for a second you felt sorry for him. He was here because he was a similar age to you, but still, people longed to fawn around him, shouting and screaming, wanting to get a bigger piece of him than the others. 

“Well… this is going to be interesting.” Jimin murmured into your ear, his gaze watching as Ellie yanked away a drowsy looking Taehyung, her eyes colored with murder.

“Hey, at least I have new friends on her ‘People I hate the most’ list.” You whispered back, small humor in your tone. 

“And they have earned their place just as much as you did.” He huffed. “Look at it as a compliment though, doesn’t this mean you are just as pretty as a Beauxbatons girl in her eyes?” 

“How did you manage to piece together that sentence without a snicker?” You suppressed a giggle. “Spoiled pumpkin juice by any chance?” 

“Which part made you think I’m out of my mind?” 

“Huh, let’s see. The comparison between me and beauty pageant fairies, the part where you insinuate  _ she _ thinks this or that I’m even playing in the same league as… well, beauty pageant fairies.” You counted slowly on your fingers, folding one after the other as you made the silver-haired boy bite down on his lower lip to silence himself. 

“Be fair, I asked you to be my date because those things in my mind actually make sense.” 

“Park Jimin, you are such a tease you should be fined.” 

“No, I should be fined because I AM fine.” 

“No argument there.”

“Mhmm.”

A good half a day later you were in an almost empty room, hair tied up and bouncing a little on the balls of your feet. A small twitch throbbed in your right hand as you watched the smaller, but older boy move a good few steps away from you. Yoongi’s face was blank as a sheet of paper, no movement or emotion betraying what he was about to do. Taking small steps towards the windows, you moved the opposite way, hand holding onto your wand. He wasn’t grasping his, only a few fingers holding onto the object airly and you tried to do the same, little finger curling under the slightly vibrating wood to balance it out. 

You were aware of how he was trying to force you to turn your back to Jimin, who was up against Kook, but you didn’t want to. The pair of Slytherins were working together quite nicely, because either you turn your back to one of them while the other waits, or you don’t and you’ll have to face the sun blaring in from the window behind Yoongi’s back. Translation: either you earn a hex on your back or go blind and receive an attack upfront. 

Shrugging a little, you glance to Kookie, who was focused on Jimin with all his might. A small crease was above his right brow, lips pressed together as he watched the other intently. 

“Do you have time to worry about others, Y/n?” Yoongi whispered and you automatically pulled up a  _ Protego _ without hesitation. Something popped on the forcefield as the same height as your face, making you flinch a little. Annoyed by the move, you whipped up your wand but aimed for the window instead of the man in front of it.

“ _ Locomotor!" _

Both of the blinds shut on the window with a sharp thud, making the other pair jump a little, while Yoongi just grinned at you. A third of the room got more dark

“Not bad Fawley, not bad. How about this?” 

He swooped his hand around his head once without a word and struck ahead. You had no idea what he was doing so you dodged instinctively, landing right behind Jimin who got phased by your sudden intrusion and let out a quick spell to occupy Kook. 

“ _ Lumos Solem!” _

The room went blindingly white with a flash of light. With a flick of your wrist and a small cry, you made a cabinet standing by the door jump in front of you to block whatever could be directed at you. A heavy crack justified the idea and a second of dread made you utter the next words:

“ _ Invito Jungkook!” _

A yelp made you know the boy was moving out of his own accord and he soon zoomed in from the top of the cabinet, plopping down by you in a small thud. 

“Why did you do that?” He whispered irritatedly. 

“How many fingers am I showing?” You asked without holding up your hand in his direction. 

“Uh, two.” He tried to look at you with certainty, a haze probably clouding his vision. 

“Wrong.” You murmured. “Listen Kook, we have to pay attention to everyone in the room. You should watch Yoongi too, just in case.” 

“Okay okay, but don’t baby me.” He glared at you for a split second before he shut his eyes and shook his head. His hair curtained above his brows again and he let out a long exhale before he looked at you again with determination. 

“Alright.” You nodded at him. “How do you want to jump them?”

“Easy.” He muttered. With a small cut charm, he got the back of the cabinet off and conjured a copy out of thin air. “Do another of those flashes. I’ll drop this on one of them and go into the cabinet while you relocate somewhere else.” 

“Okay.” You nodded again and glanced out to see where the other two went. Yoongi was in the middle of the room, focusing on the cabinet. When he saw you look at him, he struck ahead another jinx, the blast landing where your head was a second before. Kneeling down so you won’t appear at the same spot twice, you looked for their feet under the cabinet before you struck out your wand to yell again:

_ “Lumos Solem!”  _

And ran, covering your eyes. 

“How very original.” You heard Jimin groan somewhere while you pointed your wand to the crown of your head and cast a Disillusionment Charm on yourself. A skin cradling feeling trickled through you as if an egg was cracked at the top of your head, but it did the trick: you looked like the background behind you: almost invisible to the naked eye, unless you moved. Picking up a spot right at the window you rendered shut no too long ago, you basked in the shadow it cast while Yoongi and Jimin gained back their sight. The conjured back of the cabinet was hovering above Yoongi, but neither boys seemed to notice it, while you suspected Kook to keep it afloat hidden behind the cabinet doors like an ordinary boggart. 

“If you really want to play hide and seek…” The older Slytherin sighed in disappointment. “ _ Serpensortia!” _

A long, dark-colored snake slid out of his wand and you struggled not to gasp. You really didn’t like the idea of a snake looking for you and before you could think about what were your possibilities, Jimin conjured one of his own to look for Kook too. 

_ Well, fuck. _

You could do a few things with the snakes, but they could make more without much effort. Passive defense wasn’t really your deal anyway. Kookie must be straining under that levitation spell anyway, it’s too much precision for a long time. 

“ _ Oppugno!”  _

You whispered and a flock of crimson-colored birds blasted out from your wand and flew directly to the Slytherins like bullets. Jimin produced a Shield Charm to avoid them when Kook let go of the piece of furniture above them to land on the pair. 

“ _ Petrificus totalus!”  _ You yelled out, blurting out the long incantation in a quick string.

A bang shook the room while Yoongi yelled back.

“ _ Finite incantatem!” _

A cool wind washed over you and you were suddenly visible again. You had no idea what Jimin and Kookie were doing because Yoongi went ballistic on you when he finally saw you. 

Colored flashes of light grazed the both of you, and you started to enjoy it more despite how scary it could have been. Adrenaline thundering in your ears, you blasted a Horn-growing Hex at the boy, while he almost hit you with something bright orange. A bead of sweat threatened to roll into your eye as you backed up from the Slytherin who was walking toward you, insanely calm and worked up at the same time. The grin on his cat lips indicated how much he actually enjoyed the struggle between you and you almost laughed before you had to dodge again from a sickly yellow blast. 

“You know, you really should use your words Yoongs, how am I supposed to learn like this?” You called as you panted before striking forward with a _ “Tarantallegra!”. _

“About time you learned nonverbal spells, young lady! And I’m dancing already, don’t need to jinx me!” He snarled back, flicking away your spell before he threw back a hex. 

“Nonverbals are next year, no need to show off!” 

“Aw, poor Y/nie is being bullied!” 

“You suck!  _ Ebublio!” _

He raised an eyebrow as he pulled up a  _ Protego. _

“The birds were pretty.” He noted as you tried another charm. “I prefer reptiles though, at least they can see your heat even with a Disillusionment Charm on.” 

“Why thank you.  _ Colloshoo!”  _

Finally, something caught the boy as his feet stuck to the ground and he looked down in surprise. Probably his Shield Charm withered and you quickly started blurting out any and every spell you could think of as Yoongi started to disappear under a small cloud of smoke. Not missing a beat, you shot things in his direction, while you looked for Jimin’s silhouette. Finding the shorter enemy, you flicked the duplicate back of the cabinet and shot it his way and immediately conjured another shield around you. 

“I really do hate it when you do that,” Yoongi growled when a crack appeared on the force around you. “I’m proud and annoyed at the same time. Who uses Protego that much, honestly?!” 

“Anyone who is insane enough to duel you?” You replied and then whipped your wand at the two still open windows.  _ “Locomotor!” _

The room fell dark. Small slivers of light still made it through from the outside, but it took a few seconds to adjust to the new environment. You didn’t really plan to do this, but disheveling Yoongi again would require you to use your tired brain more than you thought it was possible at the moment. You might have used everything you have ever learned and dared to use now. At least no one was sure where they were supposed to attack now because of the lack of light, thus granting you a moment of peace to catch your breath. 

_ Huh. _

You might’ve used everything you usually use. But what about their usuals?

Feeling a little experimental, wondering whether even you were able to do it or not, you hid behind something big, squatted down and whispered: “ _ Serpensortia!” _

At first, nothing happened and you thought the hand movement was off. So you tried again and again. Maybe it was a small flick or a twist somewhere because the incantation had to be right. Getting impatient, you tried to pay attention to your environment but heard nothing. 

Did they catch Kook?

Feeling cornered, you wished to at least do the same to them. Not remembering the spell to spring ropes from your wand, you tried again with the snake. A weight pulled down the tip of your wand and you realized you might have done it. Something leather-like slithered past your ankle, making you shiver at the touch. Trying to make it do your bidding, you imagined Yoongi’s legs tied up by a snake, the reptile bundling his legs tight under its cord-like body. 

Something must have happened because you heard a muffled cry. 

Snapping your head up, you checked if there was someone near you. Your heart beating heavily in your chest you stood back up again, knees a little bent before you took a deep breath. Kookie is there somewhere. You can’t just blast stuff to oblivion. They can’t see just as much as you can’t. But then why didn’t anyone make some light? Why go with the dark room? And what about the snake you conjured? 

You need some sort of distraction. 

After a beat of thinking, you aimed at what you thought was one of the curtains on the other side of the room and set it on fire. Surprised noises drew from the room and you realized you were hiding behind a huge blob-like thing. Whoever made it, you had no idea what spell he used. It was solid at least. Then before you could renegotiate it with yourself, you cast a  _ Protego totalum! _ and stepped out and sent a new flock of birds out, knowing they would go for anyone, but Kookie. For a small amount of time, nothing should go over the shield in your environment and back, so you cast of bluebell flames out like bullets. The boys didn’t really see you use these as it was more of a comfort thing, while as Kookie knew they were harmless. Wishing they didn’t know about that small fact, you looked under their light until you saw two figures right under the doorframe. 

_ But Yoongi wouldn’t… _

“Do you actually waste effort in making your spells pretty?” A tone earned your attention opposite to the door. 

“Liked the flames I gather?” 

“More of a decoration than anything of use.” 

“Mmm, I wonder.” You planted your leg down, knowing the Shield Charm should still be in effect for a little while longer. “Why not light the place up a bit?”

“I like it better in the dark.”

“Makes sense.” You hummed with a small grin. “This is the end of it I imagine?”

“Oh yes, I had enough of the cat and mouse game.” Yoongi groaned. “It was creative though.” 

“So many compliments Yoongs, are you trying to make me blush?” 

“Do you want me to?” And he flicked up his wand faster than you could’ve seen it coming. An electric slap bounced off an arm-length away from you, the static blowing through your hair, making it dance a little under the blue lights. “Ah, there you go again. Was that nonverbal?” He asked casually as he got closer. 

“Nope.” You pushed the ‘p’ a little. “Touch it if you want to.”

“So it’s not a simple shield, huh?” He dragged his eyes over it as he hit it with something green this time. “Mmm, nice. Well, I’ll have to wait it out, huh?” 

“I mean, if you want to?” You smiled briefly before you cast a “ _ Titillando!” _

“Oh, no.” He made it bounce the hex into the wall, leaving a burn mark where it landed. “You won’t make me laugh with this.” 

“It doesn’t hurt to try.” You mumbled. “ _ Stupify!” _

“At least you practice these too.” The Slytherin sighed. “Honestly, how long does it hold?” 

Your eye caught movement on the floor and a pair of gasps came from the other pair by the door. Yoongi didn’t pay them any attention while you threw them a glare. A hex bounced off the shield again, coloring the room violent violet. The two looked at you and then Yoongi again, as you were sure they didn’t dare to look at the thing moving silently behind the man, because it really would be unfair to draw attention to it. 

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. It might gone by now and the next time you hex me…” You murmured, turning back to the Slytherin standing right in front of you on the other side of the shield. 

“And you didn’t even flinch a second ago.” He grinned at you. “We are getting somewhere then.” 

“Was I that bad before?” You humored him a feigned pout. 

“Ha.” He cracked. “ _ Incendio!”Í _

_ “Aguamenti!”  _ You yelled back. 

“Interesting…” Yoongi looked for the duplicate board lying on the floor not far from the door. You were right between it and him. “ _ Invito!” _

_ “Avifors!”  _ You flicked your wand at it, the board turning into a scarlet bird the size of a swan. 

“What is it with you and birds today?” Yoongi queried as he watched it circle above your head. “ _ Duro!”  _

The bird turned into a stone. Many things happened at once. You crouched down and tried to aim at it with a “ _ Reducto!” _ while Yoongi fell right where he was standing. The stone bird exploded, bigger and smaller chunks flying in all directions and you heard Kookie shout your name. Not minding the pieces hitting you you yelled “ _ Expelliarmus!”  _ and heard Yoongi do the same from the floor where the snake wrapped around his knee with sure motions. 

Your wand ripped from your hand, the force of it shoving you back and you landed on your bum. Letting the tiredness wash over you, you let yourself lie down on your back, accepting defeat. 

“Done playing?” 

Looking at the open door in surprise you saw Hobi stand there with Jimin and Kookie on his sides, a jet of light coming from behind him. With steady steps, he walked in and after a few flicks, he opened up all the shutters on the windows and blaring light took over the room again. 

“Who won?” You heard Kook ask casually as he made his way to the two of you lying on the floor. “Huh.”

“What?” You looked up at him curiously. “I lost, I don’t have my wand.”

“Yeah, well neither do I.” Yoongi grunt not far from your head.

“But you held back. It’s not like I actually won.” You turned to lay on your stomach to face him. Now having more view over the room, you chuckled a bit at the damage. The curtain you lit on fire was unsalvageable, many bigger and smaller burns and holes over the wall, the cabinet laying on its side, probably from when Kookie busted through it and the unfamiliar black blob you hid behind. Not to mention the conjured and destroyed bits and pieces littering the floor all over. 

“I didn’t hold back  _ that _ much to be fair. You are getting better. At the egging too.” He grinned at the ceiling with his eyes closed as his breathing came back to a more even pace. “What about you two?” One eye blinked open to find his housemate. 

“Nah, we let it go when Y/n closed off all the shutters.” Jimin shook his head. “It was too dangerous to have four people in such a small place go at it in the dark.” 

“But it is a really plausible situation. What if it happens for real, under actual pressure?” 

“Yoongs, you sound like Mad-Eye,” Hobi muttered as he cleaned up the walls. “ _ Constant vigilance!”  _

“He has good reason to be like that, it honestly doesn’t hurt to practice. Or would you let them walk into a dark room and believe they’ll be fine?” The jet-black haired boy sat up on his elbows with a small frown on his face as he eyed the Hufflepuff. “At least Y/n held her end. Was that a Protego totalum?” He turned his head towards you, letting it hang sideways to gain eye contact. 

“Yup.” You nodded from the floor. “I practiced it over the summer.” 

“Ah, underage magic!” Jimin gasped in pretend outrage. “You should be punished for your crime!” 

“Whoever figured out pureblood households are not that monitored should get a cookie every time someone uses it to their advantage.” You sighed happily as you grinned at him. “Anyway, that was fun. When will we have the room next time?” 

“No idea, probably next week.” Yoongi murmured as he lay back down. 

“You two have a weird definition of fun.” Hobi noted with a hand resting on his hip. 

“You okay Noona?” Kook settled down beside you. 

“Mmm, just a little tired. Nothing a good lunch can’t fix.” You muttered, stretching out a little. "You?"

“Oh, wait.” Jimin blurted in surprise. “Y/n, did you seriously conjure a snake against a Slytherin?” 

“Right.” You nodded. “I couldn’t think of anything at that point. Don’t get me wrong, it took a solid 15 tries until anything happened, but I didn’t know what else to do. He…” you pointed at Yoongi. “... said they can see body heat, and it sounded something he would brag about instead of lying about, so I tried it. It did make him fall down, so I’ll take it as a win for me.” 

“Really?” Hobi giggled loudly. “You really used a snake as a means to jump him? _ Him? _ ” He slammed a hand on his hand to muffle the sharp sounds of his laughter. “That is hilarious, is that how you Disarmed him?” 

“Okay, you don’t have to be so loud about it.” Yoongi growled. “We get it, it’s funny. But it was a good idea. No wonder you watched me so calmly hex a modified shield for so long.” 

Several beats of silence followed his last sentence. With the two of you laying on the ground and the others cleaning up after the mess you’ve made it felt like at least half an hour passed by before you were on your feet again, leaving the space behind you. 

Yoongi did talk with Snape and actually secured a bigger classroom for dueling purposes. His idea ignited a small trend as many people found it useful to practice the skill. In the end, Snape let go of the organization part of it out of disinterest and Flitwick picked it up, so it wouldn’t end up with Moody. There was a rumor making its rounds how the teachers dreaded the idea of the ex-auror to teach a dueling class within the castle walls, especially since they had several dozen guests staying for weeks. 

“Mr. Min, is everything in order?” You heard the small framed professor ask from down the hall as you stepped out. 

“Yes Professor.” Yoongi nodded. “I think it was a highly… effective session.” 

“You make this sound so dirty sometimes,” Jimin noted airly when you rounded the corner. “Highly...effective session.” He imitated his housemate’s tone with an overplayed bored expression as he swiped his hair back with a hand. 

“That is your mind, not my wording,” Yoongi muttered back as a few students passed them, whispering as they stared at the small cuts on his face. “Gah, I should’ve healed up before leaving.” 

“I was thinking of offering some help with that, but forgot.” Hobi mulled over it out loud. “I don’t think anything will come out of it either way.”

“Oh, please.” You sighed, pulling your hair into a fresh ponytail. “The four of us look like we got into a fight with a sniffler over a treasure, I’m sure there is already a story covering it making its rounds in bathrooms and classrooms.” 

“Hey, as long as Ellie doesn’t voice it ‘accidentally’ right by your ear, it’s fine.” Kookie puffed out an exhale, making his hair dart to the side on his forehead. “Isn’t Tae ever going to show up for a dueling practice?” He first looked at Jimin before turning to Yoongi as you jogged down to the main staircase towards the fifth floor. 

“Who knows. I haven’t talked to him since the delegations got here. Then the whole Potter thing happened.” Jimin shrugged. “I don’t think Ellie is letting him out of her sight for a while. The number of potentially threatening girls is much too high for anyone to have access.” 

“As pathetic as that sounds, it sort of makes sense.” Kook murmured, making every one of you stare at him with disbelief. “What, come on! If you were  _ that _ suffocating as a person, wouldn’t you be scared to be bettered by a random stranger who at least looks nice?” 

“Us - zero, Jungkookie - 1.” You murmured as the others nodded in agreement.

\---------------------------

“Well, Mr. and Miss. Fawley…” Her rectangle speckled eyes monitored you diligently as you sat up with a straighter back with Kook-ah sitting right next to you. You were in McGonagall’s personal office, and she has cleared some space for you to sit on the floor with her. It was not what you expected, but hey, who cares. “... I’m sure you have researched the process of becoming an animagus. Let me assure you, some of it is utter nonsense. And that is for a reason - no one, under no circumstances should go through with the process who is not registered with the Ministry. It is criminal, undignified and I will not tolerate it. It has come to light not too long ago that there were cases when students managed to become something they shouldn’t have and I have tightened the security over all scripts, real or fake to dismiss further attempts. I believe there will be students who will turn their attention towards you, who have first-hand information on the matter, and I do warn you not to entertain these requests.” She paused for a beat to emphasize her meaning, taking turns of eyeing the two of you sternly. 

“However, I believe you have earned the opportunity to study and will help you to the best of my knowledge to become animagus under our current year.” 

“Professor…” Kook tilted his head curiously. 

“Yes, Mr. Fawley?”

“Does this mean before December, or…” 

“No, before you return to your respective home for the summer.” 

“Oh, right.” 

“But Professor.” You glanced at her, uncertain. “I thought it is possible under a few weeks to live through the mandrake leaf and then the storm could happen any time right after, it is fall after all…” 

“Right.” The Transfiguration teacher nodded at you curtly. “I thought as much. Well, to put it plainly: you have to be incredibly patient to go through with every minute detail. Yes, it sounds grueling while just reading the steps, but living through the month silently, the moon has to visible and so many other circumstances… “ The professor rested her hip against her desk with a frown on her features. “It’s better to prepare yourselves for every obstacle. Because once it happens, you will have to start over. From the very beginning. And a lot of it takes place outside, where nature comes into contact with you, the potion in your mouth and the rest of the ingredients. Better to do in warmer seasons than the oncoming winter.” 

“Wait, I have to sit through a month with a leaf in my mouth without saying anything?” Kookie uttered, horrified at the prospect. “But what about…” 

“Schoolwork? You have to learn nonverbal spells first.” McGonagall waved in his direction like it was a given. “Some choose to add a spell that lets you have your controlled thoughts appear on parchment to fasten conversations too. The preparation varies on each person due to the level of comfort and skill they want for the duration of the process.” She nodded again as if to herself. 

A barely audible curse left your brother’s lips and you had to hold back a small giggle. 

“Kook-ah, you really don’t have to do this with me. It’s fine if you want to…” 

“No, I’m doing this.” He snapped his gaze in your direction intently. “You won’t survive a month in silence alone. The other’s would tease you too much.” 

“Nah, Yoongi wouldn’t let them.” You murmured under your breath. 

“Are you going to teach us nonverbal spells, Professor?” Kook asked before any of you had a chance to voice your concerns further. The green-clad professor watched him for a few seconds and when the boy didn’t blink under her stare she went on.

“Yes, I’ll teach you. If you have other means you wish to learn, you are welcome to ask either me or another Professor who is known to possess such a skill. However, I would like to ask you to ask me first.” 

When both of you agreed, she turned her desk into a blackboard with a wave of her wand. Words were already written on it, but the handwriting seemed more cursive, the letters thinner and more slanted than the Transfiguration teacher’s. 

“These…” she waved at the list. “... are the steps to become an animagus. I want you to go through it now and ask. Ask anything that comes to mind. Once you feel like you are out of questions, I will tell you everything else. Remember, nothing leaves this room. This list will become my desk again the minute we are done with it and nobody is able to turn it into this board besides me. I want you to think over all the things you learn today and prepare yourselves. We will start when you say you are ready to start. And when we do, we will only focus on one step at the time. You will only think about what is necessary for that one step. Not the one after. Not the end of it. Not what you’ll turn into. I know you are curious, I myself am too, but you can’t look at the non-important issues when you have endured so much for so long. Is that understood?” She raised an eyebrow at you and then watched as the two of you gaped at the unbelievable list. 

It was outrageously meticulous. If you wouldn’t know people were able to do it, you would think it is damn impossible. Too many things were out of your control. 

“P-professor?” Kook breathed out faintly.

“Yes, Mr. Fawley?” 

“I would like to apologize in advance because I cannot believe I’ll be able to go through with this without cursing.” 

A rare smile spread on the professor’s expression before she motioned towards the board. 

“Any questions regarding the list?” 

You whipped your gaze back from Kookie to the board, heart growing heavy under the weight of the new information.

  * Secure:

A silver teaspoon filled with dew that has not seen sunlight or been touched by humans for seven days, 

Chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth

  * Keep a leaf of Mandrake in the Candidate’s mouth from full moon to full moon.

No means of removal from the oral cavity is allowed. 

The chosen leaf before the first day has to be complete, unharmed and fresh off the plant.

Talking is forbidden.

  * Spit the leaf at the next visible full moon into a phial with the Candidate’s hair and the secured ingredients. 
  * Keep the potion in a quiet, dark place without disturbance of any kind. 
  * Every day at sunrise and sundown, the Candidate must chant the incantation _Amato Animo Animato Animagus_ with their wand pointing directly at the Candidate’s wand. 
  * Keep this up every day until storm visits, pick up the potion and go outside to a big, open and safe place, recite the incantation and drink the potion.

“What is a Death’s-head Hawk Moth?” Kookie asked. 

“A bug.” You whispered with disgust. 

“That, Mr. Fawley, is the only thing you don’t have to worry about. I have a few with me, and will give one to each of you when you need it.” 

“Does the dew have to be collected right before the full moon comes or it counts as seven days when it reaches the phial?” 

“The latter works. If you get dew as described now, you would be able to use it for a few weeks. However, it is better to do it during the month, it soothes the soul.” 

“Why?” Your brother asked in a small voice. 

“Because you will feel frustrated and helpless with the leaf. Time is a slow torturer and collecting the dew will be something you will find solace in. Something to do.” The teacher tilted her head as she stared into the space behind you, memories springing up. 

“Can I glue the leaf to the top of my palette for a month?” You dared the question. 

“You can if you are sure you will be able to endure it. Light warning, it tastes awful. Moving it around is a blessing and a curse at the same time.” 

“But I have to do something so I wouldn’t swallow it during meals or sleeping.” 

“Right, well.” McGonagall rode up her spectacles with a finger calmly. “You won’t be needing food in particular. The leaf will generate sustenance of sorts. You can eat if you want to…” Her eyes flickered to the alarmed boy beside you. “... but I would be highly surprised if you do. Sleeping is trickier, but if you know a gluing spell, do try. It will help.” 

The questioning went on. You had no means to determine how much time has passed, but it must have been several hours before the two of you emerged, shaken and tired from your revelations. Without discussing it out loud, both of you wordlessly carried your steps in the direction of the kitchen. 

“How much time do we need to learn nonverbals?” Kook asked you when the house elves let you decompress surrounded by the delicacies they have learned to be your favorites. 

“I have no idea. Ask Yoongi.” You stared into the wall ahead of you, a half-eaten cinnamon roll wafting its irresistible smell from your hand. 

“Do you reckon we can do it today?” 

“Huh?” You stared at him with wonder. “Ah, okay. It’s Saturday, around lunchtime judging by the elves prepping the tables. We spent the whole morning in there,  _ oh my… _ ”

“Snap out of it.” He whined, making you shake your head. 

“If, and that’s a big  _ if _ , Yoongs agrees to train us… I don’t know, okay? I bet it’s hard, do spells without talking. I don’t even understand why would she let us start now, you literally have two years ahead of you until you learn that.” 

“She probably thinks we can do it. And if Minerva McGonagall believes it, we pretty much have to.” He grinned up at you from where he sat down. “For some reason, I want to make her proud.” 

“Yeah, me too.” You muttered, sipping on your cocoa. 

“The moon thing is crazy.” JK shook his head slowly from one side to the other. “We are so stuck is a moon doesn’t appear on the sky for one night, at least we should try to blow away the clouds of something.” 

“You think we can blow away the clouds.” 

“A single disgusting leaf is going to feed us for a month.”

“Touché.”

A small silence stretched as the two of you wondered on. Sipping on your drinks, tearing up pastries before making the pieces disappear. A curious elf sat down not too far from you, yawning towards the ceiling before jumping up to get back to work again. 

“Where will we keep the potion? Dark, quiet, undisturbed…” 

“Well, Gryffindor Tower is out of the question.” You barked out a laugh. 

“So it the rest of the castle.” 

“Maybe we can ask Sibney to put away. I bet she has places like that.” 

“Speaking of Sibney, do you think I can ask her to make my hair for the Yule ball?”

“Probably. I would tell her in advance though, she’ll be so excited…” 

“I was thinking of adding some color to it.”

“That, I don’t think she’ll do.” Kook pointed to your locks before picking up a fresh pastry. “Mom told her not to, remember?”

“Then I’ll ask Jimin.” You grumbled. 

“One Slytherin after the other, let's find Yoongi.” The boy beside you got up as you watched him in disdain. “We’ll have more time to get the hang of it this way.”

“It’s a perfect Saturday with no homework, why are you like this?” You pleaded, too gloomy to motivate yourself. 

“Because I want to carry your ferret form around my bag as soon as possible!”

“Jungkook!” You gaped at him. “I will  _ not _ turn into a freaking ferret, what is wrong with you?!” 

“Prove it then!”

“You’re annoying!”

“But it’s effective, isn’t it?”

“Aish.” 

You let the boy pull you to your feet, turning out of the kitchens to find a certain green-clad boy somewhere in the huge castle you called school. 

\------------------------

“You want me to teach you nonverbals. The both of you. Now.” 

To say that Yoongi wasn’t amused was an understatement. 

“Why, dare I ask?”

“Because it is… helpful. You said so yourself! In duel practice!” JK waved his own reasons in the Slytherin’s face, and the boy watched him with a twitching lip. 

“Sure, it is helpful. But I had to hand in a freakishly long paper yesterday among other things and I deserve my rest. And you won’t let me.” 

“Think of how proud you’ll be once we wordlessly conjure you a bed!” 

“Y/n, get your brother out of here, this is stupid.”

“Actually… “ You looked at the irritated boy sitting by the window frame. “... it is important we learn it, but we can’t tell you why. What’s it for.” 

“And you have to learn it now?” He raised a delicate eyebrow as he monitored your face. 

Offering him a curt nod, he shut his eyes forcefully tight. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a few steady breaths before emerging back. 

“You.” He pointed at Kookie. “Get me coffee and food. Now, tut tut.” The boy sprinted off. “And you. You tell me how much you need this.” 

“On a scale of 1 to 10?” 

“Go on.” 

“100.”

“Y/nie…" He whined into his palm. He rarely used pet names, and the crack of his voice served as proof for his long day beforehand. “To be fair, I think both of you will get it pretty quickly, but God help me, you need to keep at it. It’s easy to slip back into saying the incantations out loud.”

“Oh, we’ll keep it up. No need to worry about that.” You stared out the window beside his small form. 

“You okay?” He frowned. “Did someone do something?”

“Huh? Nah, no.” You shook your head. “Just a lot on my mind.” 

“Wait… “ He glanced up at your standing form with small awe. “You met McGonagall today. You were talking about it last night on the parchment.” 

Not knowing how to answer his statements, you just nodded in agreement. He stared at you  for a few beats but then huffed out.

“Just to let you know.” He hopped off his resting spot. “I will be the first you tell your form.”

You grinned at him as he cracked his neck, followed by his fingers and knee. 

“Sure, old man. You can count on it.” 

\--------------------------

“If you inaudibly whisper the incantation it. Does. Not. Count!” Yoongi yelled and you fell back on your seat in frustration. 

A full day has passed. With only a few hours of sleep in your body, you have been trying to learn this stupid technique for more than 20 hours at least, and it was infuriating, to say the least. No matter how strongly you concentrated, you instinctively voiced the incantations. 

There were instances when you didn’t say anything, but the feather levitated. A few times when the rope actually burned. 

But when it came to more normal, every day or  _ instinct _ , you were failing. 

Saying things out loud was much more present in your life than you have ever imagined. 

Like the time you smashed your little toe on the table leg one summer and your mom refused to fix it for you for a whole day to make you understand: running around mindlessly was not a good idea. 

It was an experience for sure. The least useful part of your body reminded you how many times a day you use it exactly, moving and touching things all the time. By the time the sun has touched the horizon, you were begging your mom to heal you. 

Same with nonverbals. 

Now you understood. 

It was Kookie you managed to pull it off first. The feather flew into the air and the childlike wonder of being able to do it washed over the boy’s features to have the feather fall back immediately. 

“As you can see…” Yoongi pointed at the feather. “It only works as long as you concentrate. And you have been practicing levitation for a reason. Nonverbal spells are… fickle sometimes. There spells that lean into it and there are incantations that need more force to conjure without saying them. Levitation is an easier one. Once you manage that, we’ll move on to others. And when it doesn’t seem to be a struggle…” The boy’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “...we’ll do a test duel.” 

“What? I’m not dueling you nonverbally.” Jungkook gasped at him. “You are just toying with us!” 

“Look, I don’t know why you need this so much, right? But if it really is important, you need to be skilled at this. What better way to prove it than a duel.” He stopped in his tracks to monitor you. “Or is this not that serious?” 

“Gah…” You let your forehead rest on your desk. “It sort of is. We have to be able to do it. Even for new spells.”

“Well then. “ He glanced at his wristwatch. “You two practice. I’ll get food. We’ll do a test run at let's say… 15:00.”

And with that, he left the spare room you have been using, the thud of the door finalizing his absence. 

The test run was a disaster. When it worked, the spell was fluctuating, it’s effectiveness going from weak to strong in a blink of an eye. When it didn’t work, your faces colored in purple from the effort to manage something in silence.

Hours passed and you thought you were getting somewhere. Hope started to pick up in its boldness then Yoongi announced he was spent. Only then you realized how late it was and how quiet it drew outside. The Slytherin boy left, and you felt like you should go too. 

“Noona… What do you think?” 

“I think…” You rolled the idea around before you looked at him. “... we are sort of okay.” 

“Sort of okay, as in we’ll get there in a few days or sort of okay as in let's go to the greenhouse.” 

“You think Professor Sprout would be up?” 

“It a better question of whether she’ll help us or not.” 

You looked outside the window. The greenhouses were still lit in the cold November night. The Herbology professor must be still with her plants. 

“We’ll only know if we try.” You turned to look at the boy, his face stretching from it’s tired arrangement into a Cheshire-cat grin under a second. 

\-------------------------------

Mornings are usually the same right? 

Early risers leave promptly, average I-want-to-stay-in-beds use the 5-minute rule before yanking off the comfort that is their sheets and there are people who have pulled all-nighters the day before and struggle with the idea of going to the bathroom, let alone class. 

For some reason, you were part of the first category the following morning. 

You got ready quietly as the sun shone in through the windows into the sleepy room. Nobody was awake beside you and you had enough time to prep, dress, pack and giving in to a silly idea, you even curled bits of your hair with your wand. 

It was one of those rare mornings. 

But it was even more uncommon than that. 

Because you didn’t greet anyone that morning. No ‘good mornings’, no ‘how was your weekend’. When you were done with getting ready, you flew down to the deserted common room and you gladly saw Jungkook in a similar fashion. He looked tidy and clean, hair made just right, but not overdone, holding his bag close to his hip as he waited for you to get down. 

Fishing out a fresh parchment you made just before falling asleep last night, you gave him half of it with a fresh tear and started scribbling. 

_ It tastes so bad I can’t feel anything else. Not even sleepy.  _

He snorted as he read the words appear on his piece before he dipped in his quill. 

_ Where are you keeping it? Mine is stuck under my tongue, it’s less potent like this. _

You looked up at him in surprise before you answered. 

_ In my left cheek at the moment. But I’ll try your way.  _

You kept writing back and forth until a few students started to appear. Trying not to look out of place, the two of you quickly left and shut the portrait hole after you, heading down to breakfast. 

The day was flowing by and more and more people noticed how silent you are. Herbology being your first class, Professor Sprout just offered you a kind smile and didn’t ask any questions for you to answer. As much as the students seemed to be bewildered at your behaviour when the professor didn’t push you, the other’s let it go too. The girls from your year asked you via notes, and you told them you can’t speak. No, no one hexed you, yes, you are doing this purposefully, and no, you can’t say - well, write - why. 

The boys caught on something is happening and when you checked your parchment with Kook, he was leaving notes of amusement about how the original parchment was full of questions. The only one who wasn’t searching for answers was Yoongi and realization soon dawned on the rest too. No one wrote down the term ‘animagus’, but it was clear they understood. 

Keeping silent wasn’t causing any problems in History of Magic, bless Professor Binns' transparent heart. Lunch was sort of a ruckus when the Gryffindors noticed you and our brother weren’t eating, but Jin lulled everyone with some polite nonsense while you decided to leave the Great Hall. The smells were unbearable and mouthwatering, making the leaf emit more taste than you were used to.

Having the first day almost behind you, you strolled into Transfiguration with a quivering heart. Your Professor was yet to know and you were not sure whether you should dread or await her reaction. 

A stream of fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws headed into the classroom, and you held your breath as you sat down and the lesson began. Minutes passed by and seemed the Transfiguration teacher is going to act like your weekend talk did not happen, just like she said it should be.

She didn’t ask you any questions and didn’t notice when you made your snail disappear without hearing the incantation. You almost laughed out loud when she reminded the class about taking nonverbal spells seriously not five minutes later. 

It was a surprise when the class ended without Professor McGonagall noticing your silent behavior. Maybe she thought you were phased by the conversation with her last weekend. Maybe she thought there wasn’t anything odd about a student not talking much on a Monday. Maybe she was just occupied with the others, you weren’t the only student in there after all. 

But then the doors busted open when class was dismissed and with it came the usual wave of coos and giggles. Or so you thought. 

Because today Ellie decided to voice her concerns about you and your brother not uttering a single word all day. 

“TaeTae, could you think of a reason why the Fawley’s fell silent? Did someone die?” 

“Seriously? Your first assumption is death and then carry on to giggle about it?” You heard Cho’s tired voice from her desk. When you turned around you saw her with her head on the desk, a visual representation of how over it she was. 

However, her comment was not loud enough for the blonde Hufflepuff to hear and Marietta dragged Cho out before she got more into her souring mood. The one-sided conversation about you went on while you watched the pair leave, and with a small eye roll, you got to pack away your things. 

“Ells, just let it go, okay? If she doesn’t want to talk, she won’t.” Tae’s voice was gentle as he tried to shut the topic down. 

“But isn’t this hurting her house? What if a teacher calls on her and she doesn’t answer? Won’t she lose points? She might even get detention!” The way her voice squealed, it would’ve made you believe she was talking about baby lambs taking their first steps. 

“Look, it must be important.” The strain in his voice was almost visible, yet the girl didn’t miss a beat. 

“What is more important than the teamwork between your housemates though? We are not animals to stay silent like that. I would feel horrible if I would let my fellow Hufflepuffs down like that.”

_ Imagine that. _

You smacked your last book into place in your bag and pulled your chair back to stand up when you heard a weird sound. Taking a swift glance, your eyes met with Tae’s round ones. His lips parted in surprise, his eyes open with wonder as he watched you, dumbstruck. 

“Tae? TaeTae? What happened? Is everything alright?” She almost shrieked before he offered her a small smile. 

“Yeah, yeah. I just...remembered something.”

“What?” 

“Oh, it’s…” He glanced back at you, the smile still there, and it spread further as he answered her. “... it’s just a small detail. Don’t think about it.”

_ Ouch. _

She followed his gaze and saw you at the end of it. A harsher pink dusted her cheeks and for a solid minute, you contemplated on conjuring a Shield Charm around you. By the time she took her next breath, she left Taehyung’s side and strolled to you, putting on a sickly sweet smile on her wide face. 

“Oh, Y/n, could you tell me what’s the time?” 

Biting back a snort, you motioned towards the clock sitting on the wall right above Tae’s head. He was no longer looking at you, face turned to the side as he tormented his lower lip between his teeth. 

“Riiight, thanks.” Ellie went on, unphased. “So, how was class? I heard the Vanishing Spell takes a few lessons to get around to.” 

Without giving it much thought, you turned to face your spare slug, swished your wand at it, and with a faint pop, it was gone. Victoriously nodding at your spell, you glanced back at her standing form with an easy shrug. 

Apparently not happy with your answers, she pressed her lips together. What she didn’t know was how McGonagall was sitting behind her desk, eyes fixated on the spot where the slug disappeared and then flying up to your face in concern. Her gaze only flickered once when your brothered showed up by the door to walk you back to the Tower with Jin flocking behind him. 

“This is so strange, is your throat hurting? Why aren’t you answering to anything I say?” Ellie’s voice verged on a higher pitch than you preferred for human tones, but without a grimace, you nodded, pointing to your jaw and then making a hurting face. To be fair, the leaf was foul-tasting enough that you believed it wasn’t much of a lie anyway. 

“I think you should still participate in class. I understand it hurts, but you could damage your house’s position in the race for the cup. You know, the House Cup. The one you won in the last three years.” A small threat hangs in her tone, but you waited for her to finish. Leaving her while she is talking probably wouldn’t do you much good. “Did you check with Madame Pomfrey? I’m sure she could fix it up in no time. Here, I’ll take you to her!” 

And with that she grabbed your bag, filled with at least two parchments she should never have in her possession, placed it on her shoulder and started walking out, ignoring the flash of anger on your face, and proceeded to walk when you slammed your hand on the table. 

“Miss Rickett?” 

"McGonagall’s voice froze the girl’s leg on the way out of her classroom. Ellie spun around and faced the teacher walking in her way with a stern expression. 

“Y-yes, Professor?” 

“I believe that is not your belonging. Did Miss Fawley indicate she needs your help in any way?” Her eyes landed on the bag the Hufflepuff was holding in her hands. 

“Her throat hurts,” Ellie answered meekly, not meeting the eyes of the woman standing before her. 

“Yes, well, I gather she is old enough to seek medical council on her own if she needs it.” Her slender fingers firmly wrapped around the leather band and pulled it away from the blonde girl. “Why would you want to make her talk?”

“B-because…” Ellie’s eyes danced around the room before they settled down on Taehyung. “... I was concerned about her.” 

“Yes, I heard. Thank you for your concern, Miss Rickett, I’m sure the students in my house will do their best to work for the House Cup. As for Miss Fawley, as far as I know, she is going to remain silent for a period of time. Please let her be. And don’t be concerned, the rest of the staff is  _ well aware. _ ” By the time the professor reached the last two words, she eyed you with a mix of amusement and annoyance. “Now go to your next class, don’t be late!” 

With that, she led the girl out and paid little to no attention to the remaining handful of students before making her way back to you. Sitting down by the desk next to you, she drew near to you, studying you closely. Eyes narrowing slightly, she withdrew and rested her hand on the surface of the desk before she glanced up at Kookie, still standing at the door. He offered her a small smile which she huffed at exasperatedly before she made eye contact with you again. 

“I thought as much.”


	5. Chapter 5

_ JK: Noona, what are we going to do? _

_ Y/n: I don’t know Kook-ah… _

_ JK: I’m so sorry, I really didn’t… _

You sighed, hanging your head over the parchment. You were laying on your stomach in your bed, curtains drawn in tight with a full-blown party going on in the common room. The noise made it back all the way to your ears, slightly muffled. An elastic held your hair up in a ponytail, only the longest threads tipping into your view as you watched your brother’s words appear on the paper below you. Taking another deep breath, the foul taste of the mandrake leaf spread out under your tongue with a fresh wave. Picking up your quill, you did your best to ignore the sensation with a scrunch on your nose and began writing back. 

_ Y/n: Kookie, stop this. I know you didn’t mean to. I think I might have slipped up too, I’m not sure. It’s been so long, I don’t remember what it’s like. _

_ JK: I never thought we’ll fail because of a stupid dragon. _

_ Y/n: If you think about it, it’s kind of wicked. A dragon was the first thing to make us speak. Well, not speak, but you get it. _

_ JK: I didn’t know I can make sounds like that… the whole thing was so embarrassing… _

_ Y/n: Nobody heard it, don’t worry about that. _

_ JK: YOU did! _

_ Y/n: Yeah, but I heard you snore, so… _

_ JK: Noona, come on! What are we going to do? _

You had no idea. But you weren’t going to let him fall asleep with this pressure on him. 

_ Y/n: Let’s just act like nothing happened. Nobody knows why we are silent so none of them would know we screwed up. _

_ JK: McGonagall would know. And the guys. Jimin always sends me floating notes to encourage us and Joon counts the days back… How will we tell them? _

_ Y/n: We can say I accidentally ate the leaf. _

_ JK: How mature of me to let you take the blame. _

_ Y/n: I don’t mind. Kookie, I don’t want you agonizing over something I want. Even if you didn’t… if the dragon wouldn’t have got as close as it did, I would’ve still croaked at Potter getting hurt. I thought he died right there in front of us. Poor kid though, I bet his shoulder still hurts. _

_ JK: He did a good job though. _

_ Y/n: He did. _

_ JK: So, we’ll act like nothing happened? Can we really do that? We were so close... _

_ Y/n: We’ll do that. Just think about all those times when you didn’t have to answer a teacher’s question because of the mandrake. I would be really surprised if they counted the days until we are done. _

_ JK: Right… But I really am sorry Noona. _

_ Y/n: Me too. But it’ll be worth it in the end. _

_ JK: Yeah, because I’ll hide you in my pocket all the time! _

_ Y/n: I won’t be a ferret Jungkook, Jesus! _

_ JK: That is exactly what a ferret would say. And what will we tell the guys? _

_ Y/n: The truth probably. I don’t think they’ll care. Yoongi looks sort of happy with the less noise, don’t you think? _

_ JK: I’ll be so freaking loud when we’ll get done with this thing… _

You grinned at the black cursive words. Satisfied with the outcome of the conversation, you rolled to your back after you bid your brother a good night. It has been so long. You stopped counting the days long ago. It felt like it drags time out much longer and you couldn’t handle it. Fixating on the last day like a broken record, you just went on your life voiceless, missing every bit of food you could think of. 

Yes, the teachers avoided asking you questions, but classwork still weighted down on your shoulders as the amount of homework piled up, towering beside you each night you settled down by a table either in the common room or the library. 

Another perk was how Madam Pince learned not to accuse you of any noise-making around the first week. She went as far as nodding at you when walking by, merely acknowledging your presence rather than getting irritated by it. 

But there were some downfalls too. Snape couldn’t just accept you missing out on his regular rounds of questioning and attempts to humiliate you in front of the class, so he either gave you longer homework than the rest or made you write down answers and make Jimin read them out loud. The worst part of it was how the professor drew an obvious line between Jimin and you, always highlighting how he knows everything and going on and on about how you probably piggyback on his Potions knowledge to make yourself look adequate. 

Most Slytherin girls - and boys - loved the display their Head of House provided, not caring how your silver-haired friend glared at each person snickering. While you knew you didn’t have anything to prove, the peer pressure has been enough for you to regain a portion of your first-year fears. Beginning to nurse a torrent of dread and loathing against the corridor the Potions classroom resided in and the room itself made your palms sweat despite the cold environment. 

Jimin was right, if his housemates would know about you being his partner to the ball, you would be constantly reminded both by the green-clad students and their Head of House how excruciatingly not enough you are for the position. They have been letting you know enough of that without being the target of their jealousy of going to the ball with the center of their infatuation. 

Being silent wasn’t all black and white either. Several shades of grey covered your everyday life in the castle and you have gained an understanding of yourself you may have never noticed otherwise. It wasn’t an inner voice or the sort, but a basic resonance with what did you actually think or need in certain situations. Because sometimes you needed space, no matter how fun the common room was, you couldn’t tag along anyway with your current state. Being in more quiet areas and just be silent wasn’t much of a drag anymore, but a small blessing when you could level with yourself. Bits and pieces of peace where you could focus. 

Hence the ever-growing schoolwork didn’t feel as burdening as most of your classmates felt it. There were instances when you walked in on a girl your year crying in a bathroom stall or over a table in the library because the staggering amount of studying was more than overwhelming. It was a strange experience to see how differently it affected every one of you and you felt lucky to be on the brighter side of the ordeal. 

So, when you heard Kook squeak at the Hungarian Horntail flying straight in your general direction, anger wasn’t your first reaction toward him, no matter how apologetic he felt. 

_ It’s not the end of the world, right? _

Except for the nauseating taste of the leaf. 

That you could live without ever thinking of again. 

\----------------------------------

The next end of the day found you in Transfiguration, your head heavy and empty. It has been an exhausting day and you couldn’t keep your head up anymore. Being silent today has been more of a blessing than a curse, but sometimes making the effort to communicate with others was a little too much now. Time crawled much slower and Professor McGonagall’s voice barely reached you as she explained the more complicated bits of the Vanishing Spell on vertebrates. All you could think about was snatching a small mouse as soon as she finished with her lecture and try it out. 

_ How different could it be, really? _

So, when you finally got said rodent in front of you and you swished your wand at it it was mildly irritating how the silvery fluff was still there, peeking up at you innocently. 

Suppressing a building groan in your throat, you closed your eyes for a second, trying to concentrate a little more. Looking down at the mouse again, you whipped your wand at it, practically shouting the incantation in your mind. 

A faint pop reached your ears and a few bits disappeared: a few patches of fur and the little guy’s whiskers were gone, and suddenly you grew worried. Did this make him feel any pain? It sure as hell would’ve hurt you if suddenly you lost some hair just like that. 

Agonizing over the thought you tried to check whether it made any signs of pain as you picked it up. The tiny mouse rolled around your hand, going from your palm to your knuckles so agilely you amused yourself by turning your hand every few minutes just to see him do it over and over again. 

“Y/n, are you okay?” You heard a concerned whisper come from your side. Glancing up, you saw Cho staring at the mouse scurrying around your palm, sniffing at the intersection between two fingers. 

Half nodding, half shrugging in her direction, you put the silver fluff down and tried the spell again. With almost all of the fur gone, the mouse happily ran around under the small dome your hand made. Sighing deeply, you looked around to see how the others were doing. 

Most of the Ravenclaws students were focusing on their animal, murmuring under their breath in concentration. Some hunched over their desks while others sat with a straight back and a stoic face, becoming the picture-perfect representation of academic excellence. On the other hand, most Gryffindor’s were not as composed, their animal much livelier on the desk. Some chewed on their lip as they tried to succeed with the spell while others poked out their tongue in concentration. Being much more restless than the Ravenclaws, the red-clad students provided most of the noise in the classroom, humming and buzzing as their Head of House roamed between their desks. 

A small pat landed right under the nape of your neck under your ponytail, making you cringe at the touch. Biting back a yelp, you whipped around to glare at whoever had such a cold hand. 

Your stare met up with a kind smile only wavering by shyness. He held up a small piece of parchment for you to take, but you were still taken aback by what was happening. 

A beat or two passed as you tried to process how Taehyung wanted to initiate a conversation as his expression withered from the shy smile into a worried pout. Eyes flying from the bit of paper to his empty desk, up to his labored glance, you finally came to your senses and snatched the parchment from him and turned back. 

The whole thing couldn’t have been longer than half a minute and since Cho didn’t seem to notice it, probably others didn’t either. A mix of excitement and irritation washed over you as you tried to flat out the parchment, your mind going haywire as you tried to guess what was his note about. 

_ “Are you okay? How many days do you have left? How does it taste like? You know what will you be able to shift into? Does McGonagall know?” _

You almost laughed out loud at the spilling questions, dumbstruck how familiar it felt to read the slanted scratchy handwriting after so many months of not seeing it. Almost dipping your quill into the open ink bottle you had ready, your hand paused, the tip barely reaching into the dark liquid. 

Bitter memories flooded back into your mind when Taehyung just stood by and let things happen. When any of you needed him to be there and he chose to stay away instead of being with his friends. The way JK firmly believed he would be there on Christmas day, not abandoning the tradition of being together and giving out presents, and the way your little brother broke a little when the morning has come, the day turning into evening and Tae still didn’t show up at your usual place. The way you cared more about Kook’s trembling lower lip than your own sadness, fury fueling for the next couple of days until it exhausted you to stay angry. 

A tiny part of you fought against all this anger. A small bit in the back of your mind quietly argued. A minute voice kept on going whether is it right just to dismiss him like that. This is the first time in a long time he has tried to talk with you. You wouldn’t want to be treated like that either. Then again, you didn’t…

“Miss Fawley, could you please concentrate more than your current level?” 

McGonagall snapped you out of your train of thought. She was seated behind her desk, a small crease above her delicate eyebrows showing her dissatisfaction in you. Firmly nodding at her, you picked up your wand again and cast the spell on the mouse with all the bottled-up emotions torrenting through you. 

With a faint pop, the silvery fluff was gone. 

Arching your brow at your success you noticed the Transfiguration teacher shift her attention to the back of the class, her figure standing up and slowly making her way there. Glancing down on the note in your lap, you quickly picked it up and started writing back, ignoring everything battling in your head. 

_ “I’ve seen better days, but it’s not so bad. A lot, please don’t remind me! If you collected a pile of trash, let it rot together for a month, burned it and then ate it… it would still taste better than this. No…and of course she knows! Taehyung, how could she not know?” _

Before you could change your mind, you turned back and threw the now re-bundled parchment on his desk and you barely had time to see it slide all the way off the table before you turned to face forward again. Slightly cringing at your throwing skills, you almost jumped out of your skin when the doors slammed open, letting in the students waiting outside. 

“I did not dismiss class yet.” There was a heavy accent of irritation in your professor’s tone as she eyed the intruders, probably ushering them back outside with her gaze. The audible click was heard in the absolutely silent room as the door closed, all students holding their breath a little as they sensed Professor McGonagall’s irritation. 

“As your fellow students have let us know, we are close to finishing today’s session. I would like to ask all of you to practice the Vanishing spell, none of you managed it as smoothly as I expected you to. Additionally, write me a foot-long essay on the main reasons why it gets more difficult to produce said spell with different species. Bring examples from your week-long practice. I expect the essays first thing next class. _ And…” _ There was a pause after the last word, her tone getting heavier as she let out more of her frustration. “… the next time someone enters my classroom without a knock or a highly irregular reason to disturb my teaching _ will _ get detention. _ Pass it on to the others.” _

And with that, she opened up the doors again walking out with a long sigh as her long cloak flew behind her. None of your classmates dared to speak while you quickly gathered your stuff and flew out through the doors, slipping through the Hufflepuff students who jammed up the hallway. 

Behind you, you didn’t see how the boy a desk away from your seat suppressed his emotions on his face. You didn’t notice how his hand tightened around the small parchment hidden in his palm. And you most definitely didn’t notice how he stared after your fleeting form disappearing in the midst of yellow cloaks. 

You really hoped none of that anger your Head of House had was directed at you. You didn’t tell her about the slip-up, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know. Thinking hard whether Kook had her class today before you, you almost forgot about the note Taehyung sent you when you heard Ellie’s voice pick up behind you, growing unusually loud on the echo-y hallway. 

“TaeeTaeee, how was Transfiguration? That McGonagall is so rude, how could’ve we have known she wasn’t done yet…” 

Faintly aware of how the twins started mimicking the Hufflepuff girl, you turned the corner, putting as much distance between you as possible. If she finds that note while you are this close heaven knows it will be bad. 

Your hair flinging left to right with the force of your walking, you quickly climbed the stairs up towards the tower, taking two steps at a time. Reaching the common room in record time, you collapsed on the first couch closest to you, breathless as you threw everything off your shoulder. 

“Everything alright there?” 

Jin stood by the staircase leading up to the boy’s room, looking down at your figure sprawled out with a funny expression over his face. Shaking your head at him, you closed back your eyes, focusing on evening out your breathing. 

“Mmm… you look tired…” Nod. “…like you ran here…” Waving your hand in a so-so way. “…running from someone?” Still waving. “Huh, who made you fly all the way from… what is this, Transfiguration?” While you didn’t look at him, he settled down on the couch beside you, his hand dipped into your bag where your Transfiguration notes rested at the very top of. 

“Y/nie, did, by any chance, Ellie make you fly all the way up here?” There was humor in his tone, but you knew him enough to hear the edge in his question. Groaning as you sat up, you pulled out a more creased and thus unusable parchment from your bag and scribbled it all down as you elbowed into the couch, sighing in every few minutes as the novel grew under your hand. 

“Okay, let’s see…” Jin murmured as he accepted the paper. “Wait, what? Taehyung wrote you a note?!” You motioned for him to read the rest while you watched his reactions as you lay on your back. His expressions changed as fast the sun disappeared and reappeared on a cloudy day and by the end of it, he looked at you, wordlessly patting your knee. 

“What do you think, why did he write?”

Clueless, you just shrugged as he picked up both of your legs so that he could lean his back against the couch, letting your legs rest in his lap, one hand on your ankle. 

“I honestly hope she’ll find it.” You raised an eyebrow at that, not seeing what merit would it bring. “Think about it, he is the one who wrote first and she would have to face that. And you weren’t overjoyed about it or anything...right?” 

You shook your head followed by an eye-roll, making him chuckle quietly. 

“Yeah, thought so. Did you tell the others?” 

You shook your head again. You didn’t have the time to tell anyone, nor for the idea in your mind to develop to tell the guys. 

“Huh…” The older lion let his head rest against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. “Either way, this is a good thing, right? Makes you think he wants to reconnect.” 

The way his expression shifted from his original laid-back vibe to a tinge of sadness didn’t sit well with you. In a sense, you were glad he allowed himself be sad right in front of you, but the news about Tae reaching out should have caused a happier atmosphere than what was reflected on Jin’s face. Unable to voice anything that could potentially lift his spirits, you reached out and grabbed his free hand, squeezing it once in reassurance.

_ We’ll be fine. _

\--------------------------------------

_ JM: So, you have to restart the month?! Seriously? _

_ NJ: It can’t be helped, don’t bring them down further… _

_ YG: McGonagall warned them about this, it’s not surprising. _

_ H: Guys, focus. Y/nie, Jungkookie, are you two okay? I can get you a few cookies if you want some! _

_ Y/n: I’m fine Hobi, we don’t deserve you! _

_ JK: Can I have Noona’s too then? _

_ J: Aish, this boy… _

_ JM: A developing body needs nourishment! _

_ NJ: In the form of cookies? _

You chuckled at the question, repositioning the quill in your hand. It was a late afternoon in the library and you were mostly done with your homework but the conversation kept you from packing up your things, reading the replies with a grin on your face. 

Seeing how your friends didn’t react badly to your mishap, you felt relief to a degree that surprised you. The whole thing probably tensed you up more than you cared to admit to yourself. 

Impenetrable darkness stilled against the windows, not a single star shining on the sky as you scratched against the parchment as you wrote, sounds of murmuring and deep exhaling mixing in the air around you as students did their best to focus on their studying. Madam Pince roamed between the bookshelves, hunting for struggling students like a vulture who dared to disobey her rules. The noises made you feel like the library was alive as if the books were sighing from above you. 

A weird noise drew away your attention from your chatting. As you looked up you saw a strange movement as if the person was dragging at least one leg in their walk, going from the front of the library in your general direction until the person turned left instead of right where your table was located. Huge stacks of books weighed down on the table the limping person decided to sit down at, his raven locks falling into his eyes. 

Trying your best not to stare, you carefully monitored what exactly was Viktor Krum doing in here with you. You couldn’t tell whether his choice of sitting arrangement was purposeful or not, but you were glad the usual flock of girls were absent. It was one of those things that you couldn’t quite comprehend why it was happening: no matter where they were from, which school uniform they were wearing, girls who’ve reached a certain age have been following the quidditch player around like magnets. It was plain to see how he did not welcome this behavior, but as far as you could tell this didn’t phase any of them. Powder blue, deep burgundy and midnight black colored cloaks whipped after the boy wherever he went. 

Except for the library so it seems. The boy didn’t make any sound as he hunched over a book he brought with himself, taking notes occasionally as he read. His posture screamed of discomfort, somehow reminding you of a broken-winged eagle with his hooked nose and off-balance shoulder as he elbowed into the table. 

Maybe he was only graceful in the air. Maybe stuck on the ground without a broom was a handicap to him. Maybe you should be minding your own business. 

Refocusing on your parchment, you’ve lost what the flow of conversation was about. Thinking about packing your stuff up, you stood up from your chair and carefully started to clear up your table. A few curious glances flickered to you, but none stayed as you secured the strap over your bulging leather bag when tapping noises came from the window. A tawny owl was sitting outside right by your window and tapped its beak against the glass again as your eyes met. Quickly looking around, you didn’t see the librarian anywhere, so you jumped to the window and opened it just wide enough for the owl to hop in. 

The cool breeze swept up the dust as it refreshed the air around you as you fastened the window closed, turning to the owl expectedly. You didn’t recognize it, but he firmly stood by your side, so whatever the owl delivered, it was addressed to you. 

Gently reaching for the small parcel on his leg (you assumed he was a male), you freed him of his task but he stayed where he was, patiently blinking up at you. Glancing around again, you sat back down by the owl and unwrapped the cylinder-shaped brown paper to reveal several cuts of cloth and a stack of papers and something shot out of the bundle. A thin purple tape measure whipped in the air around you, bobbing one end up and down as if it was seizing you up before wrapping around your hip. Swallowing back a gasp, you stared as the tape secured around you and then proceeded up to your waist to measure you again. The process finished in a few seconds, the tape flying from one part of your body to the next until it stretched out and rolled up into a tidy coil and dropped down on the materials with a soft thud.

Recollecting yourself quietly, you reached for the parchment on the top of the pile of materials, you unrolled it, finding your mom’s slanted handwriting filling the paper:

_ “Sweetie, _

_ I’m sure you are aware, the Yule Ball is coming up in a few weeks and I’ve been wondering whether you would want to buy a new dress. Since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I and Dad were thinking maybe we should get you something tailored, so I contacted Madam Malkin’s and did a quick elimination process for you: see the samples! If you like any of them, please let me know! Maybe there is enough time to color coordinate with Jimin? I would love to help with his robes too, I’m doing your Dad’s formal wardrobe most of the time anyway. Please let him know, it’s really no bother. _

_ Please send the owl back with your measurements and preferences! _

_ Ps, the tape is a little enthusiastic. _

_ Love, _

_ Mom” _

_ Huh. _

You are getting a dress. A _ tailored dress. _One part of you screamed inside from happiness while the other tried to process through the decisions you have to make immediately. Furrowing your brows, trying to rethink the situation, you read and reread the letter. 

_ How will we color coordinate if I have to send back the owl now? _

But the owl did not show any signs of a hurry as he worked through his feathers diligently, not even eyeing you nor the pile of things beside him. Picking up the bundle of materials, you leafed through the square-shaped pieces of cloth one by one. There were at least fifteen of them, all different colors and textures: rich royal purple, powder pink sparkles, deep teal silk, spicy cinnamon tulle. You smiled to yourself as you noticed none of the house colors were included in there and you understood how your mom didn’t want to put pressure on which one to choose: you would’ve avoided them anyway so none of your relatives would be hurt over the choice. 

As you scanned through everything in the parcel, you slowly started to come to a decision. Marking everything with care, you refolded everything into a tidy square and pushed it back into the parcel with happy sounds. The owl watched you with his head tilted slightly to the side and held up his leg when you finished wrapping everything up, lowly trilling as you secured the package. 

You let the owl back out into the night and watched as he swiftly glided higher in the sky, satisfied with your choices. It was one of those rare occasions when you couldn’t wait to be in Potions class again to tease Jimin to the end of the world with your dress. Grinning to yourself with the possible jokes to torment him, you swung your bag on your shoulder when the table opposite to you sounded like it collapsed. 

Turning to see what was going on, a small portion of the mountains of books have fallen down, revealing a bushy-haired girl sporting a vivid shade of red on her cheeks. You recognized her from the common room, so she must be a Gryffindor. Pausing for a second to see whether she needed any help, you watched as she stuttered something in her surprise, the blush deepening on her skin. The boy on the opposite end of the table nodded and proceeded to get up, doing a deep bow in her direction before leaving the library with long, steadier steps, expression victorious. 

The girl hid her face behind her hands, sliding down her chair until the nape of her neck was resting on the top of the back, her chest heaving in big breaths. Torn between going to her or letting her be, you stayed where you were, waiting for a beat or two before you shook yourself and walked to her quietly. 

“_ Are you okay? Did he do something bad to you?” _ You took her pen and started writing on one of your parchments as you squatted down by her seat, placing on hand on the table for balance. When you finished, you slide the piece of paper towards her, earning her attention. She let her hands drop to her jawline, her skin still rosy as she read your message before she shook her head, hair flying from side to side in her vehemence. 

“_ Oookay, so… are you feeling well?” _

“Yes, yes, just… I’m… “ She let her hands fall down into her lap, blowing out a long exhale before turning to look at you. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Quite alright. Just surprised, that’s all. And he is very polite, just so you know.” 

“_ Alright _.” You nodded at her slowly, little taken back by her rapid-fire sentences. You got up and took a breath to nod her good night when she suddenly spoke again. 

“Do you… did you buy a dress for the ball?”

You turned back, air knocked out of you. _ Did he just… _

She offered you an empty sheet when she saw you hesitate, pleading a little. You took the pen again from the table and scribbled for a second before giving it back to her.

_ “I just started out. Madam Malkin’s takes orders and I just sent them back the parcel with materials and cuts. I can ask for a new set for you to choose from if you want…” _

“Would you, really?” She looked up so innocently you almost giggled. A second ago this girl was going off like a military trailer and now she is back to being a teenager, talking about dresses and balls. 

_ “Sure, it’s no big deal. Do you have any color preferences…?” _

“I don’t know, I never did this stuff before.”

“_ Me neither _ .” You grinned at her _ . “But hey. Let me get the samples for you and you can choose whichever you like. Is this your usual table?” _

“S-sure. Thank you.” She got more quiet, muttering her thanks shyly. “And thank you for checking on me.”

_ “Don’t mention it.” _

“Could you...please not tell anyone?” 

_ “What exactly?” _

“That he… how I… the ball.” 

Nodding with a knowing smile, you pulled your fingers horizontally above your lips, sealing them before you waved her goodbye, the smile not leaving your lips as you left the library and began climbing the stairs towards the tower. 

\-------------------------------------------

_ “So, it’s not a house color?” _

_ “It’s not a main house color, no.” _

_ “That basically leaves gold, silver, and bronze. And we both know you won’t try two out of those three.” _

_ “You are awfully perceptive today. And here I thought I’ll have a little fun with you.” _

_ “Look at you, flirting with a Slytherin!” _

_ “That is not how I meant it!!!” _

_ “Aw, did you just blush for me, really? Good thing I asked you out first. Did you pick out baby names yet?” _

_ “What the hell Jimin?” _

His giggles shook his shoulders as he tried to make less noise as he whimpered into his hand. 

_ “I have to say, it’s nice teasing you. I bet you imagined something just now.” _

_ “Yes, I imagined yelling at you. If not for the stupid leaf in my mouth, Snape would’ve thrown me out a good five seconds ago…” _

_ “Feisty. Not the best trait in a mother, but I’ll take it.” _

_ “Park Jimin, I don’t have a thing for you, please stop imagining me as the mother of your children.” _

_ “Ooh, plural.” _

You offered him a frustrated side-eye, while you felt Snape brush by you to comment on something amiss in the twin’s cauldron. Jimin bit down on his trembling lip, clearly enjoying his fun. 

_ “So, dear future mother of my darling babies, you are going for a silver dress. How interesting.” _

_ “Dear not father of my future single child, I said I won’t be in either red, green, yellow or blue. And here I thought you can read.” _

_ “You hurt my feelings.” _

_ “But I did take your advice and went for a cool tone.” _

_ “Changing the subject, huh? Will I be coloring your hair too?” _

_ “I don’t know. Maybe not. But my mom offered to help you with your robes, so if you need anything I can send her an owl!” _

_ “She would really do that?” _The way your friend paused for a second before giving you his note made you smile at him wholeheartedly, the little pout on his face wrenching your heart a little. 

_ “Oh, come on Jiminie, of course, she would. At least she knows what to do and what’s appropriate for a ball.” _

_ “She and your Dad goes to stuff like that?” _

_ “I think so. I know Mom has a few formal gowns. I never went with them though.” _

_ “Wait, does this mean you don’t know how to dance?” _

_ “Meeeh, kind of? Dad danced with me when I was a kid, so I guess I know the steps. Why, do you know how to waltz and stuff like that? Would we even have to know how to dance?” _

_ “Oh, I guess McGonagall didn’t do it then. Last week we had a… hm. Snape gathered everyone who is old enough to go because I think only fifth years and above can attend and he taught us how to waltz. He transfigured the common room and everything.” _

_ “No.” _

_ “Oh, yes.” _

_ “You are not serious.” _

_ “You want me to show you? I remember the steps and everything.” _

_ “Snape taught you how to WALTZ!!!!” _

_ “Among other things, yes.” _

_ “How did it only occur to you to tell me at the end of fricking class??” _

_ “I assumed McGonagall did it too! All of the Head of Houses should’ve!” _

_ “Nooooooooooooooooo!” _

_ “It makes sense, we are going to a ball Y/n…” _

_ “Snape knows how to waltz!” _

_ “You are making a big deal out of this…” _

_ “That absolute bat knows how to waltz! Merlin’s beard, it was worth waking up today! What else did he teach you? How to charm panties off?” _

_ “As if I need that.” _

_ “Point taken. Oh, of the love of Paracelsus, that was magnificent.” _

_ “And you haven’t imagined McGonagall or Flitwick trying to teach their houses yet.” _

_ “You have to admit, those two sound much more reasonable than Snape.” _

_ “You know, I think I’ll be wondering the whole night whether you are doing something because you want to or because Snape told you to.” _

_ “You should be able to tell the difference… “ _

_ “Yeah well… There are things I don’t know about, so you never know… oh, wait, I forgot, does this mean you had to practice dancing with one of your loyal Slytherin girls?” _

_ “I don’t have… but, yeah, sort of. We had to rotate with partners to make sure we got the gist of it. It wasn’t that bad.” _

_ “Your face says otherwise.” _

_ “Alina helped me out. I think Yoongi sent her.” _

_ “It was so bad that the Head Girl had to step in? Kudos to Yoongs though.” _

_ “The two Rosiers talked my ear off. I guess my face was telling because she shooed them off with a nastier comment than usual.” _

_ “Good for her!” _

_ “But I do think I’m pretty good at dancing, so we’ll be fine on the Ball. I wonder what music will be on.” _

_ “I’m guessing more than a string quartette.” _

_ “That would be rather dull…” _

_ “It’s a ball in the castle, it will be anything but that.” _

_ “True.” _

\------------------------------------------

_"What if I don’t want to wear dress robes?”_ JK scribbled, elbows digging into the floor. 

_“Kook, you are going to a ball. You can’t just wear this. Yo__u should wear something nice and formal, and you’ll look amazing.” _You picked up the end of his simple black cloak, rolling the material between two fingers for emphasis.

“_You think?_” You felt him shuffle enough to look at your face, a strand of hair obscuring his vision. When you nodded without laughing he went on, letting himself lay back flat against the ground. “_Mom said we could match our clothes.”_

The two of you were lying down in the classroom used during the winter for Astronomy. It was still early for students to show up for class, but late enough so the sky was turning from its orange haze into an endless blanket of blues, stars with stronger light already dotting above you. The room had a seamless glass ceiling, which made you feel like you were lying down outside without the freezing cold. The lights above painting everything in the room in the everchanging hues of the sunset was one of the most peaceful settings you’ve ever experienced in the castle. There were no desks or chairs, but pillows for the students to sit or lay on, drawing on their star charts on the hardwood floor. You were right on that floor, chests supported by a few of the scattered pillows as you lay on your stomach, doing nothing but staring up at the sky with Kook shoulder to shoulder with wandering minds. 

_“That would be nice, but how?”_ You glanced in his direction, trying to figure out whether he wanted to match or not. 

_“She sent me a sketch, and it looked kind of nice. I guess the coloring would be the same.” _

_“Well, do you want to go in a silvery robe?”_

“_I don’t mind._” You felt him pull up a shoulder. _“But you really could’ve gone for a different color. Uncle Horace will be talking about this for at least a solid month after the ball._”

_“You didn’t see the sample, it was really really pretty.”_ You sighed as you crossed the double 't'-s, still satisfied with your choice. “_And do you think Uncle will be there?_”

_“It would be weird if he weren’t invited. Given how he is with people and everything.” _

The boy looked a little unsure, and you understood where he was coming from. When he first met Uncle Horace, it was one of the most anticipated meetings within your family in that first period. A lot of relatives wanted to meet the new addition and no matter how comfortable Kook got with you and how he slowly eased up with his new parents, everyone else was a big jump. 

It was hard for him to understand that he really didn’t have anything to prove. He performed well with wand work, his flying was more than okay and his Potion skills were much better than yours by far. Everyone was in awe at the boy’s natural attributes, but he sensed the praises as a challenge, to do more and better than before. 

You could hear him sometimes practicing into the night in his room and sometimes even joined him so he wouldn’t put up with the pressure alone. But when the nervousness started to overwhelm the boy, your parents sat him down in the living room and closed the door to let you know not to snoop around and listen in. 

After that talk, Kook was more easygoing than before and stopped doing any sort of practice until school. His haze of tiredness and being on edge with aunts and uncles and grandparents were mostly gone, except when Uncle Horace showed up. 

The ex-Slytherin Head of House absolutely fell in love with your little brother and you couldn’t really blame him. He had a knack for finding gifted people and believed in utilizing everyone’s skills to their most efficient level. Which, in a sense, is nice and he did help a lot of his pupils and relatives to position themselves right to kickstart a wonderful career and life all in all, but he terrified JK. The boy didn’t know how to handle all the praise and good-natured hinting coming in his direction and Uncle Horace didn’t seem to notice the unease he was causing. The old Potions master will probably attend the ball and you bet your tailored dress he will try to introduce the youngest Fawley to anyone he deems fit to know his nephew. 

_“Do you think he’ll try to meet the guys?” _

_“Mmm, probably.”_ You hummed softly. “_Jimin, for sure. He is too good at Potions for Uncle not to know about. He has reason to find all of them, so it’ll be fun to watch the whole thing unravel.” _

_“Want to make a bet?”_ He rose an eyebrow at you as you read on. _“I think he won’t be able to find all of us.” _

_“All 7 of you boys?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Of course not,”_ You snorted heavily. “Y_ou among them makes it highly impossible, I’m not betting on that. You against an overweight ex-professor, it isn’t him I’m betting on.”_

_“You could’ve said you would root for me instead of him, but no.”_ He chuckled soundlessly, his shoulders giving away his amusement. _“You go for the “he is too fat to catch me” card.”_

_“You are emphasizing that as if there is someone out there who could catch you on or off ground.”_

_“Potter could. And Krum too.” _

_“You do realize you just named two of the most gifted fliers in the century.” _

_“I wasn’t trying to write it like that.”_ The boy beside you tensed a little and you heard him suck in a bigger breath, but it took him a beat or two to start writing again. _“Do you think I should look for a partner?” _He rolled to his back so he could study you more easily, his face almost blank. 

_“For the ball?”_ Now it was your turn to sit up a little, balancing on one hand as you studied his expression. He nodded at your question, a bit of uneasiness slipping into his demeanor. The raging purples and reds highlighted on his features and you wondered whether he knew how easy it would be for him to find a girl to take to the Yule Ball. 

_“Yeah. I’m not sure I want to.” _The boy leaned on his side so he could reply, his lower arm supporting his head.

_“Do you have anyone in mind or just the idea of going with someone?”_

_“Not really. No, I’m serious.”_ He looked at you slightly annoyed when you grinned at him. “_I don’t even know who to ask. So why bother?” _

“_Who is in your year, let me think…”_ You tried to reply casually, listing names to find someone he might find as an okay choice, but really you were trying to see whether he showed any reaction. “_There is Parvati and Lavender, right? From the Gryffindors… and that Fay girl. Hannah and Susan from Hufflepuff…” _

_“You missed Hermione.”_ He jotted down curtly. _“But I wouldn’t ask her, she probably goes with either Potter or Weasley.” _

_“Right.”_ You nodded. It wasn’t really your place to correct him about who his classmate is going with. Come to think of it, you forgot to tell him how you are helping the younger girl with her dress, but probably Kook wouldn’t care, so that’s that. _“And the Hufflepuffs?”_

_“I don’t know.”_ He huffed a little, one hand swiping into his hair before dipping the quill in for ink again. “_But I really wouldn’t want to repeat Tae’s mistake.” _

_“About taking out a Hufflepuff girl? Kook, you can’t box in all girls in a house with Ellie, that is not fair.” _

_“Well it’s not fair how none of them try to make her behave like an actual person, so I don’t care.”_ He pressed his lips together, eyes flickering to you looking at him for a second before he gazed up at the darkening sky. _“No Hufflepuffs.” _

_“Okay.”_ You sighed. “_I don’t know the Ravenclaws that much, aside from Padma and that is mostly because of Parvati.” _

_“I was thinking of them, but I don’t see how I could pull through an entire night talking to either one of those girls. And no.”_ He stared at you again. _“I won’t take Millicent or Pansy or Daphne. No way.” _

_“Who are the Ravenclaw girls?”_

_“There is uuum…”_ The boy closed his eyes in concentration, his hand in his locks counting as he went on to write them down. _“Mandy...Sue and Lisa, beside Padma. See, I barely know their names, how in Merlin’s pants am I supposed to talk with any of them for hours?” _

_“Well, if it’s really against you then don’t.”_ You shrugged. He didn’t flinch, cringe or show any other reaction to any particular names, so you came to the conclusion he didn’t nurse any crushes. Your little brother really had no idea whether he should follow the status quo or not. _“I’m sure Joon and Yoongi at least won’t choose anyone. Hobi will take Maggie, obviously, and I see a good possibility that Jin will pick one lucky lady out of the literal herds following after him day and night.” _

_“While you go with Jimin and Tae with that stupid banshee.” _

_“Mhmm.”_ You hummed, staring into the wall behind him. It was starting to get really dark and you wondered whether you should get going before Professor Sinistra arrives, but before you got moving, Kook scratched down something else:

_“Noona, do you like someone?”_

You gasped in surprise and looked at the boy quickly. He wasn’t laughing, open expression meeting your shocked one. 

_“Why are you asking me that Kook?”_

_“I was wondering whether you wanted to go with someone else to the ball. We basically made the choice for you without asking you first.” _

_“O-oh…_” You didn't manage to write back anything comprehensive, the 'o'-s squashed down. You didn’t really know how to respond without going too much into it. _“I don’t mind, to be honest. I would’ve loved to go with any one of you.” _

_“But is it better to go with Jimin? Didn’t you wish for someone else?” _

_“Jimin will be fun. He won’t stress about it, I think.”_ Elbowing into the floor, you let your head fall back, hair brushing on the wood as you tried to think about it. _“Kook, I’m not sure. It’s better this way.”_

_“I wouldn’t exactly say he is not stressing about it, but you are probably right.”_ He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. _“So you do like someone.” _

_“I think I did.”_ You blew out a long exhale, the ends of your hair floating away. Suddenly watching the colored clouds pass by seemed like a good idea._ “I don’t think I do anymore. How is Jimin stressing?” _

_“He is just asking random stuff. What flowers you like and things like that. As if I know things like that.” _

_“Huh.”_ You smiled to yourself weakly. _“I like calla lilies if that helps. Purple calla lilies.”_

_“Noted. Do you want to talk about him?” _

He wasn’t talking about Jimin and it was clear to the both of you. When you didn’t answer for several seconds, you heard him move to sit up, an arm rounding around your midsection as he pulled you into a side hug. You didn’t notice how your own lip trembled and you bit down on it, but he did. Breathing heavier than a minute ago, you protested, despite how you leaned into the sitting arrangement, your head falling on his shoulder. He picked up your piece of paper, flatting it out on your pulled up knees. 

_“I should be comforting you, not the other way around little brother.” _

_“Well, big sister, sometimes it should be the other way too. Who else should be torn between kicking their friend’s ass or telling him your favorite flower?”_

_“You still think of him as your friend?”_ You sucked in a little air when you read his words.

“_It’s surprising to me too if that helps.”_ Kook’s chest rose and fell with big breaths beside you._ “Such an idiot.” _

_“Him or us?” _

_“Both.” _

_“Yeah.”_


	6. Chapter 6

Puffs of moisture blew from your lips as you exhaled, warmth escaping your body. The night sky above you threatened with the oncoming dawn as it started to color from its deep inky hue into lighter shades of blue. You hurriedly wrapped your arms around your own torso as your feet sank into the fresh snow with satisfying thuds. 

Hagrid had his hand up in the air, a battered lantern creaking every few often as the caretaker moved. He was guiding you and Kook deep into the Forbidden Forest, lowly humming under his nose. You could tell he felt uncomfortable about not having a conversation to break the silence, but there really wasn’t anything you could do. Small sounds traveled to your ear as you passed huge trunks of trees and bony bushes, a vast blanket of powdery snow covering every surface visible. Everything was black and blue except for the magical fire in Hagrid’s hand, the orange light making the snow sparkle softly. Animals and magical creatures lurked in the shadows, and you felt several of them watching you as you passed. Shuddering not only by the cold, you blew another exhale, your fingers fiddling with the end of your wand nervously under your cloak. 

It came as a small surprise when McGonagall sent you a small note with the youngest Weasley the day before after lunch, asking you to meet Hagrid by his hut sharply by 4:30 the following morning. She even added a parchment with her written permission, just in case you run into Flitch or any teachers on the brink of dawn. The ungodly time seemed almost inappropriate and you couldn’t phantom why was it necessary to get up this early since the sun doesn’t show itself for several hours on the horizon. 

Complying with your Head of House’s wishes, you let Kook know before going to bed and set your alarm with a heavy heart. 

“All right, you two.” The gamekeeper huffed. “We’re gettin’ closer to the right spot. Do you know what yer doin’?” He turned his bushy head around to look at you only to find the both of you shake your head. “O-oh.” He muttered, his bass rising a little. “Alrighty, then.”

He walked on and you wondered whether he knew what you were supposed to be doing. Did Professor McGonagall forget to tell him? Why are you here?

The gamekeeper started to descend ahead of you, his form reaching lower and lower with each step as he carefully moved to a gently trickling creek. You passed a glance at the silent boy beside you, who just shrugged and stepped down, holding his hand up for you to grab onto so you won’t slip.

“What yer need to do is to collect yer dew.” Hagrid went on, his form stopping a few steps away from the creek. 

_ Oh…okay. _

“The creek’s warmer than everything her’, so yeh can find some dew around there.” The gamekeeper motioned by the creek’s edge, where a few blades of half-alive grass sprung from under the thick snow. “Nothin’s been here as yeh can see, and the sun doesn’t shine through these parts of the forest, so it should fine.”

You nodded at him before you started to search through your pockets for a phial. JK yawned beside you, still teary-eyed from sleepiness, watching you before he gasped silently. Swinging his hands around to gain your attention, he had two small glass bottles in each hand.

“Ter yeh go, good thinkin’” Hagrid muttered, holding the lantern closer to the ground. “There’s some right here.”

Making your way to the gamekeeper, you squatted down right by his leg to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, a small knot of grass was dangling right by the bed of the creek, small drops glistening under the warm light. All you had to do was to hold the phials to the blades of grass and tilt. Without touching it. While everything is covered in snow around you.

_ Easy enough right? _

Holding your breath back, you held the first bottle with your thumb and index finger by the bottom of it and sank your free hand into the snow by the knot. Biting back a groan, you tried to forget about the burning on your skin, the coldness biting into your palm and placed the phial gently to the plant. Which produced no effect. The ball of water didn’t move and simply ignored you making the grass move by tapping the root with growing impatience. Refusing to touch it any further, you sighed, whipping out your wand with your half-frozen hand and pointing it to the drop, casting a non-verbal Summoning Charm. Repeating the process, you slowly filled up the glass, jammed back the cork and gave it to Kook. The boy was standing right behind you, his features arranged into a wide grin, laughing at your solution openly. 

Soon you had both phials full and safely secured, struggling upwards to leave the cold and dark forest behind, Hagrid breaking up the fresh snow ahead as he guided you out through a different route. The cool air bit through your clothes, sending shivers down your spine as you saw the castle appear between the sharp-looking tree branches. A few windows held a golden glow inside, signaling someone was awake behind the glass, but otherwise, the students and staff seemed to be still resting. 

“Well, then…” The gamekeeper stood by the doors as you reached the walls, looking down at you. His beard and hair were scattered with pieces of snow, littering his hair like confetti. “…good luck with yer little project. See yeh later!” He waved uncertainly as you nodded and tried to thank him for his help clumsily. His huge form trailed back to his hut, slowly disappearing behind a bigger heap of snow. 

Kook pulled on your cloak, persuading you to go in with him. The freezing air turned warmer inside your nose as you reached the Great Hall, still void of people, barely lit by a few tired candles. Wordlessly shuffling one leg after the next, you climbed the endless string of staircases, finally reaching the portrait hole. 

It was still excruciatingly early, the common room completely empty of students. Soon the early birds would rise to get starting on their morning routines, leaving for breakfast. You wondered whether you should go up to your bed or not as you fell into a comfortable armchair, a lengthy yawn stretching your lips apart as warm tears sprung in your eyes, sleepiness capturing you in a gentle embrace. 

Scribbling sounds raised your curiosity, but you only opened your eyes when you felt a hand put something on your thigh. Kook sat down on the floor beside you, his knees held up by the table right in front of him. He comfortably snuggled in with his cloak still on, head tipping on your right knee. He placed your usual parchment with a few words drying on it, his writing supply probably out of your sight beside him on the floor. 

_ “Give me your phial Noona”  _

With a little moan, you fiddled around until you reached the right pocket, fishing out the small bottle and placing it on the table right by his legs. He held up a thumb as he wrapped his free hand around it, putting away from your sight. After some small huffing and puffing, the boy got more comfortable, one arm holding onto your legs as you slowly fell back asleep, undisturbed.

\--------------------------------------------------

A week passed since you’ve collected your dew. The school year reached well into December, leaving most students in a frenzy over the ball. Girls flocked together, whispering and loud giggles erupted when a boy happened to pass by them. Every day held a new rumor about who is going with who, focusing on the four champions heavily. There was a commotion by the Great Hall earlier: supposedly one of the Weasley kids dared to ask the Beauxbatons champion to be his partner, rendering the crowd collectively laughing at him and his attempt before he snapped out of the veela haze and ran for it. 

“Veela charm or not, you have to admit, she must be sought out by every sorry bloke in the castle.” You heard Marietta murmur to Cho before Transfiguration. “All the nice choices are gone.” She made it sounds so miserable, you almost felt sorry for her. Thank God you didn’t have to worry about things like who to go with. It would be outright impossible and hilarious to find a partner while being mute a whole month before the event. 

McGonagall snapped her voice louder, gaining back the class’s attention. The past few days had taken their toll on the teachers’ patience: students just couldn’t keep it together. All the drama revolving around girls and guys and dresses and whatnot raised the general level of muttering within classrooms and most of the professors were not having it. 

“As I was saying…” The Transfiguration teacher went on. “I expect everyone to be on their best behavior next week. If any Gryffindors will cause the smallest commotion or mischief…” The professor stood right by the twins’ desk, looking down at them like a hawk. The view of the three of them like this made you almost explode in laughter. “I’ll personally see to it they meet their rightful punishments.” 

It was almost quiet enough to hear a pin drop until she turned away, the muttering picking up again steadily. Jotting down the assignment she was citing, feeling the weight of the two-foot essay she has just given you, you held your head with one hand, elbowing into the desk. 

The past few weeks passed rather unceremoniously. All the buzz and excitement left you untouched as you already had someone to go with and ordered in your dress ahead of the crowd, so it should be arriving any day soon. There wasn’t any reason not to be over the moon about the ball, but the feeling everybody else was showing didn’t follow you. You couldn’t gossip and at the moment you were sort of glad you had no way of joining in the conversations. It would’ve been more forced than honest. 

What was slightly shocking how the boys seemed to look nervous too. Jin’s laugh was louder, JK got jumpier around girls. Hobi found you with the most random questions: if you could choose, would you like to get a bouquet or a corsage, do you think a purple robe would suit him, should he do something with his hair. No idea whether your taste matched Maggie’s, you did the best you could, but really, everything the boy seemed to ask sounded like a gamble to you. 

The biggest surprise came this morning when you were making your way to breakfast, rounding a deserted corridor corner. You were late to join the others in the Great Hall, but couldn’t care less: you can’t eat and avoid all the ruckus sounded very alluring to your exhausted body. You have been staying up late into the middle of the night for three consecutive days, every louder than average sound felt like a nail on a chalkboard. Limbs twice as heavy and mind half as sharp, you dragged yourself as your bag weighted down on your left shoulder. 

Reaching the main staircase on the fifth floor, you took in a very sleepy looking Yoongi, his hip supported by the railing as he slowly glanced up at you, expression arranged into a pout. 

“Took you long enough.” You just shrugged at him, the awful taste spreading again in your mouth as you wet your lips. “Well, you look like hell Y/n. Do you need help studying?” 

Shaking your head, you just pointed at him, drawing a question mark in the air. 

“Ah...right. So… “ He blew a long exhale, rolling his head around before he started to walk down the stairs, meeting your walking pace. “I just wanted to ask about…” His muttering was more quiet than usual and you had to pay close attention to catch every word, your steps echoing over his question. “Do you think I’m okay like this to the ball?” 

The Slytherin stopped in his tracks and motioned to himself from top to bottom, making you drop your jaw. 

_ What the… _

Two steps lower than him, you stared up at him in awe. 

_ Of all people, seriously… _

You threw your bag to the step you were standing on and quickly squatted down, frantically searching for a free parchment. Slamming out a bottle of ink and a quill, you scribbled furiously as the boy hovered above you, face tilted and slightly worried. 

_ “Min Yoongi, what the… _

_ What do you… _

_ Why would… _

_ Yoongi, what are you talking about?” _

He read the lines patiently as he sat down beside you, lip curling only a little bit upwards. 

“There is a situation I’m in, and I want to handle it well. So I thought I would ask you. What do you think, would I be okay like this?” 

“ _ Like what? What are you specifically asking?”  _

The boy motioned to himself, picking up his clothes and fluffing up his hair wordlessly, his face almost bored, only his eyes giving away how he is enjoying your scandalized reaction. 

“ _ You want to go to the Yule Ball in your school uniform?”  _

“Do I have to buy a robe to fit in?” 

_ “I… I would recommend it, yes.”  _

“Okay, what about the rest?”

_ “Ask Jimin to help with your hair. Wash your teeth. Stuff like that.” _

“I wash my teeth regularly, but thanks for the reminder. What else is there?” 

_ “Yoongi… I don’t know. Just be clean. Polite. Do that sour sarcasm thing of yours, I like it a lot. And maybe a compliment that you actually mean would be nice.”  _

“Right.” He gazed ahead of himself with a blank face. “I’ll do that. Sour sarcasm though?” He grinned up at your kneeling form beside his sitting one, clearly amused. You stuck out your tongue at the boy and he just chuckled, helping you put away your things back into your bag.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask more questions.” He started talking again as you descended the remaining stairs. “This whole mandrake thing has its perks I guess.” 

You rolled your eyes at him, huffing a little. Getting close to your first class, you slowed down a little, letting him speak more. It was too late to go downstairs anyway. 

“Are you curious?” He guessed, and you nodded curtly, hair escaping from behind your ear. “Don’t expect anything, I just owe someone. I’m not going to go all stupid like some people.” The Slytherin hissed the last two words as you passed a wildly giggling group of girls, earning more laughter. 

Quirking your eyebrow at him, he waved with his hand dismissively. 

“You’ll see, nothing that interesting. But really, do you need help with the workload? I could pitch in with a few subjects later this week.” 

You could feel him glancing at you from the corner of your eye, but you shook your head again. It wasn’t difficult in a sense of you not getting the classes. It was just a lot of writing and research, all things that were time-consuming in essence. He had just as many things on his plate to manage, becoming one of those tasks was not on your list. Catching his hand midair, you squeezed it gently with a small smile, thanking him for the offer before he left you by the closed door, his robes floating behind him as he made his way to his own class. 

Well into the afternoon, your exhaustion has taken over all of you and the last little thing you were holding onto was going back to the dorm and take the day off. Sleeping was the most desirable thing you could think of, not even getting rid of the mandrake leaf taking over the first spot as you hanged onto McGonagall’s voice. You might’ve imagined it, but she spoke more softly than usual, glancing in your direction more than usual. 

“As for a little help for those who are completing their star chart for Professor Sinistra, we will have a full moon this evening. Let’s hope for a clear night.” A few students agreed with the Transfiguration teacher, but all you could think about was how there is no chance in hell for you to think about any other thing than sleeping. McGonagall dismissed class while the doors remained closed, and students started to pack up their things when the professor called your name. A few eyes landed on you as you looked at your Head of House, a more open shock on your face than what would’ve been appropriate, but you really were out of it. 

The emerald robed woman stood by her desk, hands wrapped around her torso as she mouthed “full moon” at you with a smile threatening on her lips. 

_ Yeah, you heard, full moon tonight, so? _

You stared at her, and you started to get the feeling you were missing something big time. 

But what could possibly…

The teacher’s expression grew from amused to expectant, then incredulous. Most students already left, leaving only a few lingering around, stealing the minutes before they have to depart for dinner. When she has reached the end of her patience, McGonagall pointed to her mouth before turning her bony finger in your direction. 

_ What the… _

_ Oh. _

_ Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. _

_ Oh, Merlin.  _

  * “Spit the leaf at the next visible full moon into a phial with the Candidate’s hair and the secured ingredients.”

Your month was up. 

You are not sleeping. 

You are getting rid of the leaf. 

Alarmed and afraid to let your reaction free, you felt like your face would explode with everything it was holding in. Feeling your skin grew hot, you touched your cheek in utter amazement. As she approached you, you sat back down into your seat, staring ahead of you without a single thought running around in your head. 

“I believe I have an appointment with you and Mr. Fawley later this evening. Do you have your dew?” 

You nodded slowly, barely functioning. 

“Excellent. I have the moth with me, so we are good to go then. Do you have a way to keep the potions safe?” 

Nodding again, you looked up at her. She smiled at your expression, sighing a little before continuing. 

“Meet me after dinner finishes by the Great Hall and we will go quickly. Once the potion is ready, you can go to sleep. Yes, Miss Fawley, I can tell. Don’t worry about anything, you have only hours left in this state.” 

“Professor…?” 

You almost jumped out of your own skin when you heard the deep voice behind you, turning the Transfiguration teacher's attention away from you. 

“Yes, Mr. Kim?” 

“Can others go too? For the...potion.” 

Almost snapping your neck with the vehemency you turned around to look at him, you saw him just sit in the seat behind you, alone with his things. His gaze bounced from the professor to you for a beat, a smile curling the end of his heart-shaped lips. 

_ Were they always this shape? _

_ Way to go for your priorities to get messed up at the right moment.  _

“I’m afraid that is not possible, Mr. Kim. This is a personal meeting, other students shouldn’t feel the need to attend.” 

He accepted his defeat with a curt bow of his head under the weight of your stare.

_ What is he thinking? _

_ And why would he even want to… _

_ Wait.  _

_ Where is she...? _

“You should get going.” McGonagall earned your attention back as she shifted her eyes from the Ravenclaw boy back to you, encouragingly motioning to the door. “Please let your brother know as well.” 

Mind filled with haze, you picked up your bag and tried to make your way out, legs wobbly and head much too weightless. 

_ Why would Taehyung stick around? Where is Ellie?  _

_ The month is up, you can speak again… You are almost there.  _

_ Did something happen with them, did you miss something? Cho always tells you stuff… _

_ Does it hurt to shift? What about Kook? Will both of you be okay? What if something goes wrong?  _

_ What… _

“Y/n, wait up!” 

You stopped in your tracks to glance at him jog towards you. Utterly confused and tired, you gave up on making any sense of the situation, and just waited for what he wanted to say. 

He skidded to a halt beside you, little breathless as he bent over before looking up at you with a shy smile, hair curtaining his eyes. 

“Do you need help with that?” He motioned to your bag with a hand. “I could carry it for you for a little while so it won’t hurt your shoulder. It’s no big deal.” 

_ No big deal?! _

Not knowing what to do, you just looked at him, shellshocked. 

_ It’s been over a year. _

You opened your mouth to tell him everything that just passed through your mind, to curse him, to tell him what an idiot he is, to tell him how much he’s hurt all of you, to tell him how much you’ve missed him. You were really  _ this close _ to exploding in his face with a torrent of emotions without a second thought before he…

“Don’t talk, you know you can’t talk.” He muttered, half afraid. “Don’t mess it up because of me. You are so close to surviving the month.” 

You shut your mouth with an audible snap. 

_ What then? What am I supposed to do? _

He held up his hand for the bag, lips pressed tightly together. Glancing from his hand to his expression then back to his hand, you saw it tremble a little. You almost groaned at yourself as you felt your anger ease up at his lightly shaking fingers, rolling your head back on your neck before you gave him the bag, defeated. 

“Thank you.” He murmured under his breath, slinging the heavy bag on his back. To give him credit, he didn’t show any signs of surprise because of it’s weight, keeping a straight face as he started strolling beside you, fully expecting you to follow him. 

And you did, truly thankful for the first time for not being able to speak. You wouldn’t know where to start if you had the chance. These were one of those instances that people imagine to be in: the perfect opportunity to just say what is needed to be said, calm and collected and receive the imagined replies. What you imagine at night before falling asleep, driving in all the right reasons and build up the argument right to make him see how much has he messed up. 

But you couldn’t, you couldn’t do it. Your mind all over the place, one minute completely overwhelmed, then irritated, then happy to have him there, it was out of the question to deliver a nicely cited argument. 

So all you could do was to keep your face straight and walk normally beside him. 

What is even walking normally? Do you usually wave your arms like this? Was it always this hot in here, or is it just you? Merlin, you hope it doesn’t show in your face. Just please don’t be blushing, you could never live with yourself if…

“I bet there are a lot of things you would want to say if not for the leaf.” He suddenly spoke, barely above a whisper. There was no one else on the corridor beside you as dinner probably already started, only an occasional ghost passing you. “So I guess I’m lucky you can’t yell at me.” 

You suck in a bigger breath than necessary and let it out slowly to calm yourself down. Quirking an eyebrow at him, he just nodded at your expression, not saying more. 

Your footsteps echoed as you went on, your concentration deployed on behaving as normal as you would on any other day with any other person. Nearly on the seventh floor, you stopped at the top of the stairs, holding your hand out for your things. His expression ghosted a speck of disappointment before he handed the bag back, showing signs of wanting to say something, but he never began to inhale for it so you just thanked him for his help and waved back him as you went on, almost rounding the next corner. 

“Hey, Y/n!”

Stopping right before disappearing behind the wall, you looked back at him. Standing there beside the railing, arms dropped to his sides and shoulders a little fallen, he looked so very sad. So utterly miserable and empty. A small part of the boy you knew. And you didn’t know how to help him, because there was no way he could have everything he probably wanted. Whatever that was. You weren’t ready to live with the banshee he called a girlfriend. You owed yourself that much protection, no matter how small your feelings have diminished. They were still there, and you were more sure than ever about that as you watched the boy take one, two and then three bigger breaths before he went on. 

“I miss you guys. I hope you do too.” 

The heavy feeling of burning attacked your eyes and your nose tightened, the sure signs of an oncoming crying session. He must’ve felt something similar, because he bit his lip before dipping his head down, flying down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, holding onto the railing with whitening fingers. Helplessly watching him put distance between the two of you, you felt the taste of the disgusting leaf filling your mouth as you edged closer to crying, reminding you how you can’t call after him, no matter what. 

Heavy-hearted and fighting back your tears, you reached back into the common room, dragged yourself up the stairs to the girls' dormitory and dropped down on your bed, closing the curtains tightly. You fished out the parchment you only shared with Kook and scribbled through your tears to let him know about the meeting with McGonagall, your breathing switching from your nose to your mouth as your crying got stronger. Teardrops patted on the paper before you leaned back on your back to breathe more easily, letting it all out, keeping the leaf right under your tongue. 

Silent sobs tore from you as you remembered how he looked at the top of the staircase and how unhappy he looked. How it wasn’t fair of him to look like that. He has no business being unhappy if he chooses her over all of you. Why does he keep trying, helping with your bag, writing that note, why if he goes back to her and her miserable love in the end? What was the point of it all?

The room turned dark as you vented, not a speck of light around you. Soon you were empty of everything, numb, scrubbed and plain. Your skin started to cool off, the moisture drying slowly as your sobs quieted down, your mind blank. Nonchalantly taking out your wand, you showered the inside of your bed with bluebell flames. You watched them dance above you, gently drawing circles in the air, sometimes colliding, sometimes passing each other carefully. You would’ve stared at them until you passed out, but life was never that simple, was it?

The door opened and you heard footsteps inside, going straight to the bed beside you. 

“Y/n, your brother is waiting for you downstairs. Don’t you need to go?” 

You opened the curtains in reply, quickly making your way to the bathroom to wash your face. There was no way for you to hide the remnants of your crying, but you could try to make it a little less obvious. Splashing cold water again and again in your face made you regain something from the numbness and soon you were jogging down the stairs to meet Kookie. 

His expression clouded when he noticed you among the other Gryffindors, but you didn’t want to whip out your things to write so you just pulled him out of the common room, dragging him down to the Great Hall. The boy obediently followed, not slowing you down at all, his hand wrapping around yours reassuringly. You almost broke again at the motion, pushing out the oncoming emotions and just focusing on the steps. 

You made it in record time to the Hall, barely anyone eating inside. McGonagall was seated by Professor Sprout and they seemed to be talking about something animatedly until she saw the two of you by the pair of open golden doors. With a firm nod, she stood up and said her goodbyes, the Herbology professor smiling after her before turning to you and holding both of her thumbs up for you. You couldn’t bring yourself to see how was still inside and who was not.

“Right, good evening Mr and Miss Fawley.” She began when she reached you, motioning to go outside with her arm gracefully. “I believe you have the dew with you, right?” Kook nodded beside you, sinking his hand into his pocket. “There is no need to take it out, not yet. Let’s go over what is going to happen now, just to make sure: The moon has to shine when you spit out the leaves into the phials. This is really important. Then we add the moth and the hair and once it’s done, you have to stay really quiet until it is put away. I can do this for you if you want but I believe you have a method as well.” It was your turn to nod, remembering what you have come up with. “Good. Well, then. When the potions are tucked away, the wait begins. We need an electrical storm for the process to finish and until it comes, you will have to chant the incantation of  _ “Amato Animo Animato Animagus”  _ every sunrise and sundown. But I’ll remind you of that when I get the chance. Ready to go?” The professor’s hand was already on the door and opened it with a small struggle, letting the cold winter air to attack you. 

Most of the snow has melted since you last been outside, leaving the ground behind more frozen than snow-covered. The icy air burned your throat and your cheeks, your back shuddering in the big drop of temperature as you took a few steps outside, standing not too far away from the door. The moon above you was covered by a huge cloud, it’s rays drawing out the edges clearly. 

With trembling hands, Kookie handed you one of the phials and a slightly bigger round bottle for the potion. In his hand were his own supplies and a silver spoon to measure the dew, his eyes fixated on the sky, waiting as his lips turned more blue by the second. 

Minutes passed and McGonagall picked up her wand and cast a heating charm on the both of you, helping with the cold as you waited, her attention only shifting upwards when the moon finally made its appearance. There wasn’t much time before the next group of clouds would come, so without hesitation, you placed the bottle to your lips and tried to aim in the leaf in while the white rays were still on the ground. The stupid thing clung to your tongue, but after a few seconds of struggling, it was finally -  _ finally _ \- gone. Checking the bottle, the barely recognizable plant was right on the bottom, dark and shivered up compared to the moon’s pure light. 

Kook beside you inhaled happily, his leaf gone too and he grinned upwards with closed eyes. He looked so happy, so relieved. He opened the eye closer to you to grin at you wholeheartedly before he tilted his head back to look at his Head of House. 

“The hair.” McGonagall whispered. 

Holding the bottle in one hand, you slid out your wand from its strap under your wrist. With both hands occupied, you carefully started to separate off a piece of your hair into smaller and smaller sections until only two or three hairs were pinched between your index and thumb, the rest holding onto the bottle while you cast a  _ Diffindo! _ on them. Like spaghetti, the hair coiled up around the leaf, looking more disgusting by the second. JK was much faster than you this time as he started to jump around the balls of his feet to generate more heat. 

“Now the dew.” 

Kook gave you his square-bottomed bottle to hold to fish out the phials and the spoon from his top pocket, measuring out the liquid with steady hands. How he was able to do it, it was beyond you. Just watching him made you shudder stronger, but he slipped the first dose into your bottle effortlessly before pouring out another one and dropping the contents into his. The potions started to emit little ribbons of smoke, filling out the walls of the glass effortlessly. 

“Come here.” McGonagall spoke softly, pulling something out from under her robe. She opened a small metal container where several tiny dark pieces lay and she gently picked up two between her fingers, dropping one into each offered potion. The smoke-colored dark the second the thing disappeared into the bottle and you quickly screwed in the cork, just in case it produces more of the dark substance. McGonagall lifted a finger to her lips, motioning for you to stay as quiet as possible and it was time to put them away until the right moment. 

“S-Sibney.” You managed to say under your nose, your voice much more cracked and hoarser than you have ever heard it. 

A crack echoed by the lake and you heard scurrying noises from the place where the sound came from until you saw a small figure sprint towards you. It turned out to be your house-elf, in her tidy apron and skirt, this time bright red colored with white trimming, the little hair she had pulled into a tight bun on top of her head. She stopped right in front of you and bowed deeply to you and to Kookie before she turned to your professor and did a rather graceful curtsy for her kind. McGonagall rose her eyebrow at you when the house-elf carefully took both bottles from you, inspected them closely before she snapped her fingers soundlessly. 

The bottles were gone in a puff of smoke. 

“How interesting…” The Transfiguration teachers noted, her head tilted to the side. “Elf magic, eh?” 

“Yes,” You cracked again, your voice coming back to life. A dull ache developed in the back of your throat, making it hurt to talk. “I thought that is foolproof enough. The castle is much too noisy.” 

“Good point.” She nodded, ushering you back towards the castle. 

“Thank you Sibney, you can go back home now.” You looked down at the happy elf. She looked absolutely ecstatic, her small little steps holding a bounce as she walked. 

“Ooh, but my Lady, don’t you want to try a few hairstyles? I have been doing research for the ball, and for the young Lord too.” She motioned to JK, who just chuckled at the elf, grinning down at her, elevating the elf’s happiness much further. “And I can make that soup my Lady and the young Lord likes as well, it is much too cold for you, and…” 

“Sibney, we can practice during the weekend, how does that sound?” 

“Delightful, my Lady.” 

“Alright then. You did well today.” It was starting to really hurt to talk so much. An uncomfortable weight pulled down on your vocal cords, draining out your words. “Could you please air out my room?”

“Mi-mine too,” Kook added faintly, pulling a face at the ache.

“Of course, of course! I’ll wash your linens with your favorite detergent too, young Lord!” The elf did a low bow before disappearing with a loud crack. You saw Kook cringe a little at the last words, keeping his gaze away from his Head of House, who was slightly smirking under her nose. 

“Careful with your voices,” McGonagall began when you were all inside again. “It might hurt for at least a day. And your hunger will be back, more… forceful. I recommend eating something small now, just to get a head start.” 

She went on to give more small tips and ideas on what to expect. Hammering into your minds not to forget to do the incantations the following morning, you promised and finally parted from her. 

“Kitchen?” Kook cracked.

“Yes, just...yes.” 

\-----------------------------------------

The elves were absolutely ecstatic when they saw the pair of you emerge from the tight tunnel to the kitchens, the loudness of their cheers only rivaled by the amount of food they presented within minutes to you. 

Turns out some of them took note of how you and your brother were not eating at took it to heart, missing the point of the phenomenon and believed it was because of the quality of work they were producing. When Kook tried to speak under his breath with a pained expression to make up for their feelings, all of the elves hushed to hear him better and then went off to produce ailment for the boy. He managed to mutter the word ‘animagus’ by the time the first elf shoved a concoction into the young lion’s hand and all of a sudden all of the little creatures came to understand as a lightbulb just turn on inside their heads. 

It took a good fifteen minutes for them to relax and give you space, but within those few minutes you have drunk many different potions and medicine for your throat and one of them must have worked because the pain reduced enough so you could talk. 

“So…” Kook began, his fork sinking into a big chunk of meat. “Taehyung told you he misses us. Asked McGonagall to come with you, took your bag and carried it all the way to the seventh floor, and then told you he misses us.” 

“And he hopes we miss him too.” You finished his summary, picking up a drumstick with one hand while the other had mashed potatoes ready in a spoon. “Kook, I think he might’ve cried.” 

“Like you did?” 

“Maybe not as hard.” 

“You never know.” 

“Meh.”

“Are you okay though?” He turned his face in your direction, closely watching your reactions. “I don’t mean to sound harsh, but you looked exhausted when you came down to the common room.” 

“I… it became too much.” You murmured, looking at your feet. “All I was thinking how much I wanted to just reach my bed and fall asleep and then McGonagall had to spell it out we have a full moon today and he just jumped on that bandwagon. I didn’t know what to do, how to behave.”

“It’s him who has to behave. She’ll have his head if she learns about this…” 

“I just don’t see the point.” You interjected, shaking your head frustratedly. “Why do these small things and get upset if he is not going to break up with her?” 

“Maybe he is lonely,” Kook muttered, his hair falling in his eyes as he bent over a little in his seat, picking up a new dish to eat from the several plates sitting around you on the floor. “Remember when he refused to go home for Christmas because he liked it in that room Hobi found? I thought that day will never end.” 

“Mmm, that was your second year here.” You hummed, picking up on the memory. You remembered how the older boys charmed the room to look festive with changing the lights and Joon tried to transfigure a desk into a Christmas tree from scratch. The three oldest were working on it the day before, and Hobi collected a lot of food from the elves so when you showed up to celebrate Christmas, it would be more wholesome. Most of it was for Kook, so he would have a sense of home after his confession the year before but really did end up like a tradition you did every year. Each time it got a little better, a little more. 

That first time, Taehyung figured you have enough supplies to last more than a day and decided for the group how none of you will go home for the holidays. It was stupid and impulsive and your parents would’ve been heartbroken, but the idea of staying there together sounded like a great idea. Comforting, snug and serene. With the occasional chaos. 

“I still hate how we lost him after that quidditch match. If he would’ve stuck around by us, they never would’ve met.” 

“Kook, you don’t know that. Our year is not that big.” You chuckled dryly. “Maybe it was all a matter of time. Besides, I think we’re missing a big opportunity right now: how does it feel to finally eat something, hmm?”

“Absolutely amazing.” He sat back on the bench, back pressing into the stonewall, head thrown back with his eyes closed, chewing lazily. “It’s like I’ve never eaten before. All this stuff feels new. I’m not letting the Tae thing go.” He opened one eye to look at you, noting how he noticed your change of topics. 

“I don’t see what else is there to talk about Kook.” You pulled up your leg to turn your torso towards him. “You reckon we should do something or what?”

“No, not really.” He took another bite, now of a long, perfectly fried chips. “It’s his decision.” 

“Kook… you are too mad at him. If you were there…” 

“Then I would’ve seen my sister cry for a person who hasn’t been in our lives for over a year and all he could do was run away. And yes, I am mad. He should have…” The boy muffled the end of his sentence, not finishing it and you didn’t push him. In the back of your mind, you were 100% sure he wouldn’t be as strict and hard on Tae if he saw him as lonely and sad as you did. Not even Jin or Yoongi would go as far as not comfort him. 

_ But you didn’t either… _

“Noona, could you really forgive him just because he feels bad?”

“I don’t know.” You swirled your spoon in the thick tomato soup resting against your thigh as an elf took your empty plate and offered a new dish instead. “I didn’t go after him, and he knew I would yell at him if not for the leaf. I almost did too. But I don’t want to regret being stoic or cruel. I mean… if I were in his position, what would I be happy with? What would be the fair thing to do?” 

“Because he was fair with us?”

“Just because someone can behave stupidly doesn’t grant you the right to be stupid too, Kook.” You eyed him warily. “That just makes you stupid too.” 

“You are awfully wise Noona.” The boy snorted, dissatisfied. “If I break a vase, then I’ll have to live with the consequences, don’t I?”

“And he has, hasn’t he?” 


	7. Chapter 7

Only a few days to go until Christmas Day, you woke up with the sun shining down hard on your closed eyes. Not ready to open them yet, you stretched to the end of your bed, toes curling, fingers reaching the headboard. Mouth free of anything foul-tasting, belly full of food from last night and finally slept through the night, you were ready for the perfect Saturday. 

Throwing your legs over the bed, you looked around to see everyone still asleep, curtains pulled together. Not wanting to break the silence, you slipped into your fluffy slippers, picked out a few clothes and tiptoed into the bathroom with your wand in hand. 

It was a rare occasion when you had the bathroom all to yourself in the Gryffindor Tower. It was always either busy or one of the girls was already awake, so when finally having an opportunity like this, you wanted to use it well. Casting two dozen lights to fill the dark room and charming the door to muffle all sounds, you put down your things and turned on the shower. You took your time under the levitating orbs of light, washing your hair and cleaning yourself. Once done, you applied the potion Katie made for the girls in your room and looked over the clothes you brought in. As the potion rested you fitted together with a knee-high dark stocking with a pair of brilliant red skirt, a long and thick undershirt with only straps holding them on your shoulder and a fluffy white wool off-shoulder pullover. 

It’s not that you wanted to meet anyone or be in a certain way, but you felt  _ and _ looked like a pile of dungbombs in the past few days. And it’s enough of that. 

_ Even McGonagall noticed. _

All that was left to do was wash off the potion, dry your hair and get going. 

By the time you got out, none of the girls opened their curtains, so you quietly got your black robe on, strapped on your wand to the inside of your wrist and flew out the door. 

Reaching the common room, a few people were in there: a trio of fourth years by the fire, trying to study. The girl of the three looked up at you and offered a small smile, her tiredness showing. Replicating her actions, you nodded at her. A group of first years played in the corner, their laughter muffled by an irritated looking prefect, who was quick to cast a Charm on them as he bent over his desk by the window with a groan. 

“Fancy seeing you up Noona.” You turned to see Kook jump off the last step of the boys’ staircase. 

“I know, right? Well rested and everything.” You grinned at him, finding the small signs of his grooming: his hair was somehow different as a few locks curled almost into his eye, showing a good amount of his forehead. “Sibney visited you this morning too I gather.” 

“You asked her to make sure we do the chanting right? She was so enthusiastic, I let her try things on my hair while she’s here.” The boy scrunched his nose as he chuckled, pulling you out of the common room gently. “But this doesn’t explain why you are so dress up.” 

“I had the bathroom to myself.” You shrugged as you stepped out of the portrait hole. “Is it really that unusual?” You turned quickly on your heel as you walked beside him, making him chuckle louder. 

“No, well… kind of. You put more effort in I guess. Merlin, it’s so nice to talk! I feel like I could shout until the end of the day and not get bored with it.” 

“Of your own voice. Well, we might disagree on that.” You teased him, earning a few penalty tickles, your panicked laughter echoing in the corridor. “What do you want for breakfast then? After weeks of missing several dozens of breakfasts, what will you go with, hmm?”

“Everything, of course.” The boy nodded seriously, not even missing a beat after your question. 

You laughed at him, already jogging down the main staircase. 

“Do you think people will ask why were we mute for so long?” You wondered.

“Probably. We should say stupid things if you are asking what should the replies be.” 

“Like what?” You eyed him as you rounded to another floor, holding onto the railing as you hurried downstairs. 

“Like we were hexed. Or a potion gone wrong. It should match with the professors accepting it, so we can’t say we were doing a protest against let's say vampire rights.”

“Do you have anything against vampires?”

“Not that I know of. Why?” He glanced at you from the corner of his eye, lips threatening to curl into a grin again. 

“Just checking. So we shouldn’t say we made a bet who could hold out on not speaking longer.” 

“Meeh...it sounds believable thought. If not for the teachers.” 

“If not for the teachers.” You agreed, reaching the Great Hall with a thud as you rounded in through the doors. There were a few students inside, about a tenth of the full capacity going and a few teachers sitting across. McGonagall looked up from her plate to meet your gaze and she instantly pointed to her throat to receive a firm nod from the both of you. 

“I can’t decide whether she is rooting for us this much or questions our capabilities,” Kook asked as he flung a leg over the benches by the Gryffindor table, helping you sit down in your skirt without a second thought. 

“Maybe both. But I like it, to know she thinks about us this much.” Your gaze flickered through the table, seizing up your options. “What do you think, sausages or bacon?”

“Noona, why are you even asking when we both know you’ll go for the bacon?” 

The two of you filled your plates and started munching as more and more students appeared in the doorway. The tables leisurely filled up, the level of noise escalating to the usual level with cutlery sliding on plates, chewing sounds mixing in with the ongoing conversations. After a long while it finally didn’t bother you, feeling one with the student body again. 

It was amusing how most of the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws by the neighboring table noticed you and Kookie talking again. At first nobody paid any mind to your conversation, before Angelina snapped her eyes at you, mouth parting in surprise. A few more people stopped in their tracks in their own pace: it took Oliver only a beat to notice when he sat down, but didn’t comment on it, while the twins went into a frenzy when they figured out what was different that morning. Their squabbling and questioning only died down when Seokjin reached for the seat beside you, hushing them away tiredly.

“Huh, full moon last night, right?” The older lion sat down with a huff, looking at you curiously. 

“I believe so, yes.” You offered him a lopsided grin before picking up your goblet to drink. 

“Does the moon has anything to do with your highly interesting behavior, Miss Fawley?” Fred leaned in from Kookie’s side, knocking the boy into you as he mocked a classic radio host voice. 

“I don’t know Mr. Weasley, does the moon have any effect on you?” You quirked an eyebrow at the redhead, who leaned on further on your brother, practically making him lay sideways into your lap as you jokingly stared at each other unblinkingly.

“It should have an effect, but sadly…” He tilted his head at you before going on. “Who are you going with again Fawley?” 

“Come again?” Breaking character, you lost track of what was going on. 

“He is asking who are you going with the ball, Noona.” Kook muttered, his head resting on your shoulder as he bit into his buttered toast. “And Jimin, for your information.” 

“Shame, really. Nothing against Park though.” 

“Thank you, I guess.” You watched as he went back into his seat, letting the boy off of you and breakfast went on for the spectators who amused themselves with the scene. 

“And here I thought he has a partner.” Jin muttered, rubbing his eye. “So you guys are over most of it I guess. How much until the...you know. First…”

“We need a storm.” You whispered as you acted like you dropped a fork to lean closer to him. “Until then, not much.” 

“Does it hurt to talk?” Angelina glanced at you from the other side of the table. “I had to refrain from speaking for a week with an infection last year and it was so bad after.” 

“We got a ton of medicine from the elves, so no, not really.” You shrugged. “What was the infection?” 

“Just a simple thing, I got it accidentally from my mom.” The girl waved it off easily. “And will you ever tell us what was this…” She motioned to the two of you with her fork. “...or just forget it?” 

“What was what?” You smiled sweetly at her. 

“Did something happen?” Kook inserted swiftly as he picked up on what you were doing, taking a big bite of his food.

“Maybe we missed something.” You noted airily, finishing your orange juice in a swing. Angelina allowed herself an eye roll before she let it go, picking up her stuff before going off to the library. 

Right as she reached the doors, the sound of hundreds of wings fluttering filled the Great Hall as the morning post came. Boxes and parcels dropped from the flock right onto the student body, letters reaching their destinations. A familiar-looking tawny owl landed right by your plate, dropping a relatively bigger bundle into your lap. Curiously checking the package, you poked at it to find something soft inside. 

“These must be our dress robes.” Kook muttered, a similar package in hand with the same wrapping paper. “See, here is the tag!” 

He was right, a small card was dangling from the side of it, cursive letters forming Madam Malkin’s logo in the center. 

“Are you going to open it Y/nie?” You jumped in your seat when you hear Jimin’s voice from behind you and the Slytherin boy quickly used the opportunity to slide between you and Jin on the bench, his back to the table. “Let me see, let me see, let me seee,” 

“He is very happy for a Slytherin.” Fred glanced up at the silver-haired boy with a smile.

“I know, we tell him he was missorted all the time,” Jin noted jokingly.

“Such a Hufflepuff.” You grinned at the green-clad boy beside you. 

“Oooh, she talks!” He gifted you with an eye-disappearing smile. “It’s been a while.” 

“Right, Park. Why didn’t they talk?” George appeared from Fred’s other side. 

“Who?” Jimin grinned at the twin. 

“These two.” They both motioned to you and Kook simultaneously. 

“These two what?”

“Didn’t speak!”

“Really?”

“Oh, come now. They won’t budge.” Katie hushed at them. “I have been asking for weeks now and I know nothing.” 

“You come now, Bell. You must know. You live with her.” Fred narrowed his eyes at the girl, feigning suspicion as he bit into his bacon ferociously. 

“So? What do you think happens in the girls' dormitory?”

“Let’s not go there Katie.” You looked up, more seriously than jokingly.

“No-no, please go on.” Jimin inserted, planting his elbow on the table as he raised an eyebrow at your roommate. “What does  _ exactly _ happen in there?” 

“We’re listening,” George commented, humor lacing his tone. 

“Nothing interesting, I assure you. Probably the same thing as every other dormitory.”

“ _ Our _ dormitory is very interesting, just to let you know. You should check it out sometime.” Fred quipped, not taking his eyes off the girl. 

“Oh, Merlin.” You hung your head a little in defeat. 

“Not bad for a fifth year.” Jin murmured, earning happy sounds from the boys. 

“Did you get your robes too, Jiminie?” You tried to turn the tide, looking at the silver-haired boy. 

"Changing the conversation so fast?” He hummed, amused as he smiled at you with a glint in his eye. “And yes, I did. Wanna see if we match?” 

“No, you’ll see next week.” 

“How very secretive.” 

“I try, I try.” You replied, leaning back on the palms of your hand on the bench. “Did Yoongi get one too?” 

“Not that I know of. Why would you ask that?” 

_ Huh. _

“Nothing in particular, just curious.” You mumbled, looking around. If you and Jimin got your clothes, then… You eye met a bushy-haired girl’s from that morning...from back then in the library. She anxiously shifted in her seat, while her friends talked about something animatedly, not noticing her behavior. 

Not really thinking about what you are doing, you picked up your package. 

“Jimin-ah, I’ll see you later, okay?” 

“Huh, what are you…” 

“Noona?” 

You were already halfway through the table, looking at the girl and motioning for her to come with you. Offering a quick apologetic look at Kook, you turned as you walked, while she hesitated a little, but the two boys sitting on the other side of the table must have said something because she got up without saying anything and darted between the benches, her things in her hand. Walking side by side, you reached the end of the hall and aimed for the doors. 

“Need some help with that?” You looked at the girl as you started to climb the stairs. She met your pace, clutching her parcel with round eyes. 

“Actually, I would love some. Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Hermione.” Her voice was surprisingly even for the pace and her state. 

“You too, Y/n.” You nodded in her direction, reaching the first floor. You looked for an unused classroom, opening a random door and finding it suitable. The girl followed you in, and when she closed the door you turned automatically with your wand drawn. 

“ _ Colloportus! _ ”

“So…” You sat up in a desk, letting your parcel sit in the seat below it. “...what do you need?” 

“I...I don’t know?” She shifted her weight beside the teacher’s desk, empty of anything. Starting to pace a little, her eyes fluttered to you. “What are you going to do?” 

“Uh… Well, I didn’t see mine yet either. But I’ll try it on, see how it fits. And if that is set, I guess I’ll ask my house-elf to help.” 

“You have a house-elf.” She stopped in her tracks, a serious look on her face. “Do you pay her?” 

“Wh...what. Pay her? No. She gets days off if that counts.”

“On what basis?” 

“I don’t know? You can ask her if you want.” You raised an eyebrow. She was a rather weird witch. 

“How could a house-elf help you with getting ready to a ball?” 

“She helps my mom, when she goes out to stuff like this. Sibney really likes detailed things, most of her hobbies revolve in things she can learn to do by hand, so when there is something like this…” You motioned to the package below you. “...on the way, she does research and wants to practice and help with getting ready. She is neat like that.” 

“Your mom is Theresa Fawley, right? What kind of research is there? Can I do it?” 

“Under a week? Don’t know. But I bet she would love to help you out too.” 

“Only if I can pay her.” 

_ What the… _

“Hermione, she is not an employee. Do you want to offend her?” 

“I’m not  _ offending _ anyone, just… I believe they deserve better treatment. House-elves.” 

“I’m not sure what gave you the idea they are not treated right, but...Sibney, could you please come see me?” You said a little louder. You really hoped you are not tearing her away from something, it would make the house-elf highly anxious. 

A whipping crack echoed in the room as the elf appeared, this time in a sunny colored apron with the same colored lace running on the side. She gazed up at you with her surprised big eyes before she did a low bow, smiling as she straightened back up. 

“My Lady, it’s nice to see you so soon again, how could I help?” 

“Did I disturb something, Sibney? Do you have something to finish?” 

“No, I was just waiting for Mistress to come home.” 

“Alright, thank you. Well, Hermione, does she look...I don’t know, malnourished?” It was starting to bug you how you were there with this girl to help her while her only concern seemed to be how you have a house-elf and you were judged off the bat for not being a good Master. 

“Malnourished…” Sibney started as she looked around before she jumped when she noticed the younger girl behind her. “How impolite of me, so sorry young lady, I must look so…” 

“No no no no no, there is no need, I should’ve made myself more obvi…” 

“Hermione, does she look like she is treated badly?” You cut the stuttering match. “Or we can go on with the ball.” 

“Ball? Oooh, are we practicing today, my Lady? Splendid!” Sibney snapped her thin hands together in anticipation, already levitating to your hair, checking it gently. 

“S-she looks fine, yes.” The girl looked from the elf to you. It took her a good few minutes to regain her composure as she watched the elf move around, asking you questions about your hair, diet, and health. When the usual check-up was done, she went on on more specific things:

“Does my Lady want her hair up or down?” She was mid-air by your side, eye level. 

“Rather down, probably curly.” You glanced at her carefully. “Not French nobleman curly, more loose waves.” 

“I’m afraid it should be more appropriate to have it more up than down. As Mistress’s daughter, you might be monitored by some of the guests.” The elf sighed. “But I can take pieces out to hang more loosely.”

“Then I guess I won’t be coloring it either.” You leaned back, a little sad by the news. 

“There is room to color, but Mistress instructed not to…” 

“Not to choose unnatural shades. I know…” You muttered, more defeated. “Mom was very thorough with you.” 

“Yes, my Lady.” 

“What about you, do you know what you want?” You look at the girl, now sitting on the edge of the teacher’s table. 

“Oh, I… I think so.” She shyly looked at the floor, barely raising her voice. “I was thinking of making it straight, sleek…Maybe a bun...”

“Ooooh, do you have assistance for it, Miss?” Sibney turned to her with open wonder, lacing her fingers together to restrain from touching the girl’s hair. 

Moving your feet in circles in the air, you watched the girl stew in her thoughts as the elf’s excitement grew. Well, you knew Sibney was getting excited by her ears fluttering in more repetitive rhythms and you were sure she was starting to blink more, but maybe Hermione didn’t decode it the same way as you. After all, she seemed alienated by the concept of having house-elves at all. 

“I… I don’t have assistance, no.” 

_ Except for me, but sure.  _

“And do you require support?”

_ As much as the next girl attending a ball.  _

“I would… I would love some, yes.” 

“Well, then…” You almost laughed when you saw the girl shudder in surprise when Sibney flew to her and started inspecting her hair, missing the cue to ask for permission because her excitement has taken over her senses. “An elegant knot is highly possible, very good choice after all, and I believe with some Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion, we should reach it quite nicely, yes. I think I can cook up a batch in about 2 days, young Lord will probably ask for some too…” 

“Kookie? Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion?” You repeated in disbelief.

“He doesn’t particularly need it, no, but it helps to keep things…” Sibney went on without missing a beat, checking the baby hairs around Hermione’s temple. “...in place. He is getting rather talented at fixing it for himself, not that I mind making the styling for the young Lord.”

“Huh… who knew.” You muttered. 

The forenoon passed faster than you could’ve known. With Sibney’s help, you made decisions with hair and make-up, and tried on the dresses you received behind a wall she conjured up. Thankfully there was no need for adjustments and you were rather satisfied with the end results. The elf jotted down her notes she gathered and when there was no more question unanswered, she said her farewells and disappeared with a crack. 

\----------------------------------------

_ “How about a dueling session? Anybody up for it?”  _

The message appeared on your parchment a good few minutes ago, but you didn’t notice it yet, immersed in your Transfiguration essay. The sun was brilliantly shining down on your desk and barely anybody chose to spend their Saturday evening in the library, so you were safe enough to put your things out more liberally. 

Crossing your last ‘t’ at the bottom of the parchment, you leaned back on your chair, satisfied with the result. You were close to finishing all of your homework, playing with the thought of leaving your Muggle Studies one for tomorrow when you noticed the scribbling almost disappearing on the paper rolled out on your far left. Grabbing it and reading the line, you dripped your quill into your ink bottle to reply. 

“ _ I just finished in the library, still game?”  _

“ _ Meet me at the usual place as soon as you can get there.”  _

Slightly taken aback by the answer, you started to pack up your things, rolling up the Transfiguration essay last. Offering a nod to Madam Pince, you flew out the doors and jogged to the staircase. 

The classroom the professors designated for dueling practice was closed when you got there, letting you suspect he was already inside before you got there. Opening the door slowly, you peeked in to find the shutters half closed leaving the room in a shadowy state. A pair of practice dolls were laying on the floor, half crushed with their limbs torn off. A body lay on the ground to your right, legs and arms spread out, chest heaving. 

“Someone had a bad day.” You noted, letting your bag slide off your shoulder. You silently closed the door with a charm so nobody could hear what is going on inside. 

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have left me there this morning.” His voice was a little cracked, struggling to talk over his ragged breath. “It all went to hell then.” 

“What do you mean, what happened.” You sat down on the floor beside him, folding your legs under yourself. “I didn’t mean to be rude, I just noticed something.” 

“It’s not that.” Jimin huffed, making his hair fly out of his eyes. “I just stayed talking with the twins and Kook-ah. We were there for Merlin knows how long. They asked how did I ask you to the ball and stuff, we were having a good time. There was a point where I thought Jin will fall off the bench. But then...then  _ she _ turned around from the Ravenclaw’s table.” 

“Who?” You furrowed your eyebrows, skipping through the blue-clad girls in your head. 

“Y/n, come on.  _ Ellie. _ ”

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.” The boy let his armrest on his forehead, elbow pointing into the air. “I have no idea what is her problem. She just went off on you going with me. And not quiet either. The whole hall was echoing.” 

“What was she saying?” You felt your face heat up, the skin on your back quivering. This is going in a very bad direction. 

“Stuff like why would I ask you. What good of a conversation could be held up during a whole evening when you refuse to speak. Where is my house pride to pick a Gryffindor girl. Stuff like that. I thought I’m going to strangle her then and there.” 

“She was talking about house pride while sitting at the Ravenclaw table as a Hufflepuff.”

“Interesting thing to highlight out of all of those things Y/n.” His eye jumped to look at you, clearly dissatisfied. 

“Where was Taehyung in all this?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen him all morning.” He turned back his gaze towards the ceiling. “The twins were ballistic. They got detention from Snape faster than I could blink.” 

“Kook? Jin?” 

“I silenced Kookie with a charm before he could say anything.” Jimin dismissed your biggest worry off the bat. “I think he is very angry at me now. He stormed off after Jin politely sent Ellie to hell.” 

“Fantastic.” You closed your eyes, processing. She really did loathe you. “And then?” 

“And then  _ they _ heard it all the way on the other side of the hall. A  _ whole week  _ before the ball.” 

Your heart sank. This is going to be very difficult. 

“You mean the Slytherin girls?” 

The boy nodded, lips trembling slightly. 

“Look, it’s not going to be that bad, we have been practic…”

“Yeah, right. Don’t you think it’s a little excessive of you to pair your first thought being how you will be able to protect yourself because you have been dueling with Yoongi -  _ of all people! _ \- with ‘it’s not going to be  _ that  _ bad’?”

“He is the best dueller here Jiminie.” 

“Exactly. And you have to learn from the best to be able to feel safe because some stupid hag couldn’t shut her trap? What did we do to her? What harm did we ever cause her? I have been trying so hard to keep it from them, why on Earth would…” His tone trailed off, throwing his arm off his face to the floor. “I don’t think I have hated anyone before. Not really. Not like this. And they say Slytherins are evil and cunning.” 

You didn’t know what to say. The idea of a few Slytherin girls ganging up on you didn’t seem as scary as Jimin has predicted, but the way he tensed up. The way he tensed up was the bit that worried you. Was there something you didn’t know or he was this frustrated?

“Jimin-ah…” You gently began, sitting closer to him. “...we’ll be fine. Yes, I’m confident about my abilities, but I can always ask for more help. They would’ve figured it out sooner or later.” 

“I get it, but…” The boy stopped for a moment, thinking something over. “Did you see Taehyung?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He started to ask about you more in the past couple of weeks. Not just you, the others too. But more about you. I started to think he is going to do something, make a decision or… I think he started to read our conversations on the parchment too. I’m not telling you to forgive him by any means, but I think he has been down, very d…” 

“I know.” You stopped him there. Not wanting to relive your incident with the Ravenclaw, you went on quickly. “He has been acting weird, but I don’t see how would Ellie know about this.” 

“She must know something is up. She was sitting where he usually would be, but he never showed.” 

“So you think she went off because she knows he is feeling bad about us?” You thought the boy will mull over it, but he replied much faster than you anticipated. 

“I think she went off because she thinks he regrets his decision. To be with her.” 

The Slytherin boy stared right at you as he said it, monitoring your every reaction. 

“Well, then…” You breathed in heavily before blowing a long exhale. “She tried very strongly to prove him right, didn’t she?” 

\----------------------------------------------

You’ve spent the rest of the afternoon in there with Jimin, just talking. You did your incantations when the sun dropped below the horizon and when Sibney appeared, she let you know Kook did his round too. When you didn’t leave for dinner, you asked the elf to bring you food and she gladly whipped up a picnic in the deserted classroom. She happily complimented Jimin’s magic with his hair and let you know about the possible shoes and accessories your mother wished to lend you for next week, her chattering livening up the atmosphere.

You tried to coax Kookie to come to join you, but he only replied in curt sentences and wouldn’t leave the Tower. 

Hobi visited right before dinner and tried to brighten Jimin’s mood, but he couldn’t stay long. The Hufflepuff prefect had rounds to make, so he left with a slightly worried look on his face. Soon Yoongi and Joon joined, and you suspected Hobi called them over to do something about the lethargic mood going around between you and Jimin. 

It’s not that the pair of you enjoyed brooding, but it felt comfortable just to let it all out. You told him everything Ellie did the past couple of weeks. At first, he was furious with you, raising his voice as he kept repeating his questions on why didn’t you tell them and such. When you reached full circle, he huffed and puffed, clearly irritated until he started to talk about Taehyung’s side. 

The silver-haired boy had much more to say than you figured. No matter how patient he remained with his best friend and how much he tolerated his girlfriend, he has had enough. It’s been four months since you’ve been back at the castle and he barely had any instances when he could spend time with Tae without the Hufflepuff girl being present. 

Being torn between hanging in there for him and keeping his own emotions in check, the girl’s behavior in the Great Hall that day crossed the threshold of what Jimin could bare. At first, he wanted to find Taehyung and tell him his honest truth about the whole situation, however harsh it would sound, but he never found him. The Slytherin then tried to find Kook to apologize to find out he has withdrawn to the Tower from Jin via the parchment. All these bottled up emotions had to come out, so he came to the practice room and hexed, cursed and jinxed until he was spent enough to just lay on the ground and ask for someone -  _ anyone _ \- to come. 

“I want to hug the kid, seriously.” Joon muttered, laying on his belly not far from you. “It’s not his fault he doesn’t know what to do.” 

“Namjoon, nobody should be that dense.” Yoongi murmured from the window. He curled up on the wide edge by the curtain, his head resting on the glass. “I get it he is hurting, but isn’t that the perfect reason to let her go?” 

“What I don’t understand is…” Jimin cut in, his head resting on your shoulder as did yours on his, both backs on the floor. “...does Ellie think this is good for him? Seeing him slowly wither away and lose who he is? You saw him Y/n.” 

“Yeah, he looks like a shell of himself. But if that girl were capable of noticing such things, she wouldn’t attack me all the time for those twisted reasons she keeps coming up with.” 

“She is attacking you because she is afraid of you.” Yoongi noted evenly. “Didn’t you notice yet?” 

“What did I do to make her think that?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, make her boyfriend happy?” Jimin chuckled dryly, the scent of his hair filling your nose as he shifted to roll over to his side so he could look down on you. 

“You do that too.” You narrowed your eyes at the boy hovering above you. 

“Yes, well I’m not a girl.” 

“What does me being a girl have anything to do with this?”

All three of them groaned in their own way. 

“Y/nie, I love you, but Merlin, that was a new low for you,” Joon grumbled from behind his hands, plastered on his face. “You being a girl is the reason she hates you and why she cut out all of us. If you were a guy this whole thing would be so different I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.” 

“Why, because I’m going to steal her boyfriend by having boobs?” 

“If boobs weren’t a necessity, I bet Jimin would’ve done it already,” Yoongi whined, his pained expression turned towards the sky. 

“You bet your wand I would’ve.” Jimin chuckled at him, before glancing down at you again. “Y/n, I told you this a couple of times already, but you really are a catch in this castle okay?” 

“What about the beauty pageant faeries?”

“Meh, a 4/10 then.” He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Ow!” He yelled when you smacked his arm, rolling back to his belly to lay beside you this time, elbows holding up his shoulders off the ground. 

“What are beauty pageant faeries by the way?” Joon asked curiously.

“The Beauxbatons girls.” You replied, tilting your head on Jimin’s shoulder. 

“Oh, wow. That’s…” Yoongi began on the window, tearing his gaze from the dark clouds outside. 

“...rather accurate.” Joon hummed. 

“What should we do about the Slytherins?” The silver-haired boy asked. His shoulder slowly descended before rising again as he breathed in evenly, the heat from his body radiating on your skin. 

“What about the Slytherins?” Yoongi glanced at him, not following.

“He thinks the girls who want to be his partner to the ball will come after me one way or another.” You looked at the black-haired boy. He raised his thin eyebrow at that, almost amused. 

“Just imagining it sounds rather interesting what  _ could _ happen, but I highly doubt anything will.”

“Yoongi… did you do something?” Namjoon sighed at the older boy’s expression. 

“Kind of, I guess.” 

“What?” Now all three of you were staring up at him, openly curious. Yoongi waited for a beat or two whether any of you would change the subject, but when none of you said anything he shrugged. 

“I asked Alina to keep the girls in check. It was getting really annoying in our common room and we couldn’t get on with our stuff. So I made a bet with her: if she can keep the girls in order, I can keep the boys in a straight line.”

“What is the penalty?” Jimin looked up at him, his lips parted in awe.

“If she succeeds, I have to take her to the ball.” 

“You do what now?!” Joon yelled, utterly shocked while Jimin started to giggle violently, shaking your head off of him. 

“Y/n, care to add anything?” Yoongi grinned down at you proudly. 

“Yeah...so if anyone does anything to me, I tell Alina and you are out of the danger zone of taking one of the prettiest Slytherin girls out there while she wreaks havoc for ruining her chances with the ball,  _ or _ nothing happens to me or Jimin and you get to take  _ one of the prettiest Slytherin girls out there!” _

“Baaaambababaaabaaaaabaaaammm…” He started triumphantly, waving both arms into the air. “So I ordered a dress robe, it should be here by Monday, the common room is in a state of nirvana, Jiminie here will help out if needed  _ and _ I promise to wash my teeth before leaving to the ball.” 

“Very nicely done.” Joon shook his head, before he dropped it between his arms. “So I’m the only one without a partner I guess.” 

“Why, does Jin have anyone?” You glanced at the sighing Ravenclaw. 

“I would be very surprised if he shows up alone, and even if he does…” Joon turned to his side, pulling up his feet to rest on the floor to stabilize himself. “...he could get somebody by curling his fingers a teeny-tiny bit.” 

“What about Kook?” Jimin interjected between fits of giggles. “Does he have anyone?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him, but I don’t think so. He didn’t say anything about it.” You looked at the silver-haired boy hesitantly. 

“That leaves Hobi with Maggie, you with me, Tae and that hag.” Jimin counted on his fingers. 

“I wonder what will she wear…” You wondered, trying to imagine her choice. 

“Who cares about that, what will you wear? I’ve been wanting to know since you ordered your dress!” 

“Jimin-ah, where is the surprise then?” Yoongi scolded the boy lightly. “I want to see your face when she comes down.” 

“I want to see Tae’s face when she comes down,” Joon added thoughtfully. 

“And now I’m nervous whether I’ll fall down the stairs or not.” You whined into your hands.

\--------------------------------

Sunday night found you in the common room, leaning over the last thing on your list for the weekend: the Muggle Studies homework you have been putting off since the middle of the week. It was barely coming together as you struggled under the roaring commotion which was usual in the red and gold common room. Something just flew by your ear, but you paid it no mind. The twins were causing a ruckus somewhere behind your back, and you saw a seventh-year storm off to teach them a lesson. Most of the fifth years were sitting around you and scribbling, sometimes exchanging done papers wordlessly to check each other's work. 

Kook has been in a sour mood since yesterday but brightened up a bit when you sat him down with a basket filled with food sent from home, the banana-flavored chocolate he liked laying right on top of the neat pile. You told him everything you heard from Jimin and summarized what you knew, trying to blow over the clouds above his head. The boy was still furious with Ellie, but to compensate his feelings he began to fuss over how he will help you get ready and down the stairs once you get there. 

You didn’t really get the whole stair thing to begin with, but if this was what made your little brother feel better, does it matter? 

He was sitting right by your knees again, reading some muggle book your mom sent him, occasionally popping a snack in his mouth between turning pages. You marveled at the fact how it soothed you to have him nearby like this: it was a really natural way of skinship, he was doing what he wanted and you were doing what you needed, but it was nice nonetheless. 

“Y/n, could you check my Transfiguration essay, please?” Katie whined, shoving the paper in your lap before she slammed her back into the armchair, hands wrapping into her hair. “I can’t see the words anymore. It could be gibberish, it would still make sense to me.”

“Wait a sec.” You murmured, shifting your things away from you to the table. “Which one is this again?” 

“The two-foot essay on the Inanimatus Conjuration.” She whispered between the palms of her hand. 

“Right…” You began to scan through the text, trying to slow down and read it properly. Kook shifted a little to turn towards you, a hand offering a half bite of the chocolate he was eating. You took it without taking your eyes off the essay, squeezing his hand in thanks as you lowered your gaze on the paper. 

“E-excuse me…” A tiny voice traveled to your ears, but you didn’t pay attention. The sound was not familiar, so it must be for someone else. Katie somehow managed to scribble something down that was either very clever or utterly out of place and you wanted to figure out what was the word resting on the paper determinedly. 

“Uhm…” 

“Y/n,” Angelina snapped. “The boy is talking to you.”

“Huh?” You looked up, blinking rapidly. 

“S-ssorry to disturb you, but…” A small mousy-haired boy was standing right beside you. If you would have to guess, he couldn’t be older than 5 due to his small frame and tiny portions, but you really were out of it. 

_ Was he there all along or I just missed someone come this close? _

“ProfessorMcGonagalltoldmetogiveyouthisIhopeit’sgoodnews.” The boy rushed it all out in one undistinguishable string of sounds and you just blinked at him again. Are you this scary or just weathered? But you washed your hair yesterday, what the…

“Could you please repeat that?” You tried to sound gentle, but who knows how the boy understood it. 

He took an enormous breath again, eyes fluttering to Kook, who was staring up at him, interest on his face. The boy glanced back at you, his shoulders pulled up as he shifted one leg to the other. 

“Hey, it’s okay. We don’t bite.” Kook muttered quietly, a soft smile on his lips. 

“Pinky promise.” You held up your finger in demonstration. “What's your name?”

“D-Dennis.” 

“Okay, Dennis. What's up? I think I heard McGonagall in there.” 

“Y-yes. She told me to give you this.” And with that, he held up both of his hand, clutching a folded piece of parchment. 

“Good job, thank you.” You took the paper, unfolding it carefully. 

“Want a chocolate, Dennis?” You heard Kook go on, giving the boy a piece while you zoned out. 

“Noona, what's going on?” 

“M-miss? Is it something good?” 

When you didn’t answer for a few more seconds, Kook reached up to fetch the paper from you, telling Dennis that he can go, he’ll take over from here. Pulling the unfolded paper eye-level, you registered your brother drop his bag of goodies. 

_ He must have read it too then. _

“ _ There is a lightning storm coming tonight.  _

_ I’ll come to collect you before dawn. _

_ Don’t tell anyone.” _


	8. Chapter 8

Mildly thinking about how nice and warm your bed felt when you got out of it, you pulled your cloak tighter around your waist, lacing your arms right above to make the material stay around you. It was really cold and really really early. The only sound was a howling storm raging outside, the heavy drops drumming on the windows with loud taps. Besides an occasional lightning washing over the castle it was almost completely dark in the corridor you were walking in, the students still in deep sleep and all your sluggish brain could think about was how much better it would be under the covers. Not that it mattered because you were waiting for this morning. When the note delivered by a small first year from your Head of House let you know about the incoming storm around the next dawn you were more than overwhelmed. The anticipation should have been enough to slam your eyes open when McGonagall came to collect you, but it wasn’t so: instead of helping you, the excitement was working against you, not letting you fall asleep last night, your racing mind ticking away the minutes which resulted in only a couple of hours of sleep instead of the good rest you actually needed.

Warm sleepy tears framed your lashes before cooling your cheeks as they rolled lower on your skin after a wide yawn and within seconds Kook mirrored the motion. Quickly exchanging a small smile, you turned a corner to reach the main staircase and began descending. A tiny part of your brain registered how strange this whole situation was: out of bed and basically trespassing in the castle, but with approval since your Head of House was strolling right ahead of you, illuminating the way out with her hand held right ahead of herself.

There was no way of telling whether the well-seasoned Gryffindor professor was affected by the time of your task. She was sharp as ever, the only sign of the ungodly hour on her were her clothes: the usual emerald robe was replaced by a green checkered nightgown with a thick cloak billowing above it, probably conserving some of the warmth you wished you had.

Silently reaching the end of a series of stairs, you finally reached the last door between you and the castle grounds. Two more figures were standing before the pair of enormous doors: Professor Flitwick was just opening up the elaborate lock system on the door, soft murmuring escaping him as he lowered his wand, a pompom ended nightcap flinging in his eyesight. The other beside him was Professor Sprout, who looked as awake as ever, already covered in a fresh coat of earthy smell.

_She must be used to getting up early. _

The teachers greeted each other in hushed tones before McGonagall turned to you.

“As you may remember from our first talk: we will be supervising your first shifting. It is more of a precaution, but if something happens it will prove most useful. Since there are two candidates this time…” She flicked her wand to you and your brothers head while the professors beside her nodded. “...I asked Pomona and Filius to join us. There will be some surprises, I’m sure, and I wish to be as prepared as possible. I heard Professor Moody is awake too with Professor Dumbledore, so don’t be frightened if they decide to accompany us as well. Now, do you have your potions?” She looked at you expectedly and you nodded surely, fishing out the two bottles from under your cloak.

Both bottles were blood red and labeled up, just in case so you wouldn’t mix up yours with Kookie’s. The Transfiguration professor nodded before checking on the door, her gaze darkening when the storm outside cracked another lightning.

“Alright. To make sure everyone knows what will be happening: we are going as far on the grounds as possible so nothing will be in the range of destruction.” You pressed your lips together at that. This wasn’t the first time you heard her mentioning destruction, but it wasn’t really bothering you until this point. JK shuddered beside you, locking his right hand with your left as the professor went on. “When I stop, you will have to recite the incantation one last time and then drink the potion. Your transformation will begin then. I know it won’t be easy, but please try to remain calm. Whatever your forms will be, the instinct of an animal is much more...raw than of humans. Calm your hearts and minds.”

Her gaze tore into yours as she emphasized the last sentence and all you could do was to nod. Excitement picked up in your mind, the adrenaline rushing in your body with considerable speed. Your palms sweaty, breathing shallow and unsteady, you tried to at least look collected, because that was what she expected of you.

Kookie was fairing similarly to you, his doe eyes rounding up to saucers as Professor Flitwick opened up the door while happily chatting with the two women. Rain poured in on the stone floor and the teachers cast an Impervious Charm on themselves before stepping outside. The boy beside you took a deep breath before taking a step, effectively pulling you into the storm with a steady hand.

The water was cold as ice, the weight of each drop hitting your body like bullets. The grounds were dark and slick with rain, the grass glistening around you under the teachers Lumos. McGonagall took a turn away from Hagrid’s hut, walking away from the castle with sure steps. Professor Sprout looked back at the two of you in every few minutes, a supporting smile gracing her features every time she met your eyes. It was almost funny how straightforwardly your group took a sharp turn from the directions of the Quidditch pitch, but the rain was cold enough to trap the chuckle in your throat. By the time most of the place you knew were away from sight Kook grew into your side, one arm behind your back while the other laced into yours by your midsection, face almost buried into your shoulder.

_He must be so cold. So so cold. _

The trio of professors stopped ahead of you, and McGonagall motioned for you to stay where you were. You were all standing on a gentle hill scarce of trees, only patches of grass covering the ground around you. The smell of rain and water was filling your nose with every breath and all you could pay attention to was the hand of your professor as you clutched into your shivering little brother. Excitement almost gone and you were ready to do anything just to get away from the cold beating onto your body, all you wanted to do was to get this over with. Which is laughable, really. You were waiting for this for years. But a lightning storm in winter time seemed to beat your dreams and fantasies as you felt Kookie tremble against you.

You noticed Professor Flitwick summon a chair out of thin air and then levitate the chair into the air, a good altitude above the woman standing beside him before he apparated right into the chair. In any other circumstance you would have been amazed at the small professor’s brilliance, but now all you could think about why he was doing this. Nobody talked about levitating teachers. Was there any reason or he just liked to situate himself in such way?

Minutes passed as the rain raged on until the Charms professor shot a white spark towards the ground right at McGonagall’s feet. The green-clad woman took a deep breath and then nodded to you.

With trembling hands, you handed Kookie his potion and when he took it from you carefully, you unscrewed your own. Waiting for the boy to open his own bottle, you locked eyes when he was done. Without looking at your wand, you placed the tip over your wildly beating heart and cited the four words hopefully for the last time in your life:

_“Amato Animo Animato Animagus!”_

The words were shattered by a thunder booming right above you and you noticed the sun blinking on the horizon as you placed the bottle to your lips before throwing your head back to drink the scarlet potion.

It tasted like pure fire. The liquid burned through your tongue, down your throat and into your belly where it spread over every part you have ever felt in your body in your life. Flames licked at your skin, biting into your stomach, reaching all the way to your soaked toes. The pain was tolerable at first, only warming and invigorating your numbness, but as the seconds turned into minutes you couldn’t stand up straight anymore. Shutting your eyes away from the brilliantly blazing morning sun, you tried to flex yourself enough to breathe in again, but it was meaningless. Nothing was moving in or out of your throat, no matter how much you felt like screaming, the panic doubling your heartbeat until it felt like you had two instead of just one. The beating drummed in your ears, pulsating at the tip of your fingers and the heat moved with it, long and steadily extending waves torturing your being.

And the burning only intensified. You couldn’t think anymore, no more coherent than a wild beast fighting for its life. The only thing that filled your mind was the beat of roaring inferno, strong enough to beat the rain and the winter coldness. Maybe you were set on fire yourself, not just your insides, maybe you were ignited in wildfire, maybe the professors were there to stop you from burning everything down until nothing remained.

And then you remembered.

It wasn’t just you going through this. Jungkook was somewhere here with you, going through the same crippling pain as you are. Your little brother, your _stupid_ headstrong little brother was experiencing the same torture just because he didn’t want you to suffer alone. Had he known… had you known.

Haywire taking over the little sense you had left, your mind emptied out, leaving no sense behind. There was nothing, no burning, no feeling in your body. As if time itself has stopped passing. There was no way of telling what happened, you didn’t know whether you even had a body, let alone moving it.

The first thing that caught your attention was a beat against you.

_Tap._

Small weights landed on you.

_Tap.Tap.Tap._

It didn’t hurt. It was just..._there._ Happening.

_Taptaptaptaptaptap._

It was the rain. The cold, winter rain. But this time it wasn’t cold, not really, not against your skin.

_Skin?_

No, that is not right.

_What is this?_

One thing was certain, it was warm. It wasn’t affected by water.

_Could it be fur?_

No, fur gets wet.

_But then…_

Your eyes snapped open. You must be lying on the ground, because your point of view was much lower than what you were used to. Kids see the world from this angle, barely reaching the kitchen table. But you weren’t lying down, it felt like you were standing.

_But on what?_

It took you a beat to realize you can move. Move your neck, your arms, your…

_No, they are not arms. _

Your eyes landed on a series of vibrant red. Scarlet, crimson, every shade of the fire you just felt rage against your body. There were literal licks of flames at the end of your…

..._feathers. _

Feathers?

_Oh, God._

You had feathers. You had wings. You must be a…

_...A bird? Seriously?_

How could that be? What bird? You didn’t even know that many species of birds, how embarrassing, what is going…

A shrill trill. You just heard a shrill trill.

_Was that me?_

_Jesus Christ, I can trill. _

_Yoongi is going to make so much fun of me, Merlin’s pants, this is…_

Another melodic series of sound flew from your throat, quite easily.

_I didn’t even want to make a sound, why is this happening?_

The noise (or music?) just didn’t stop. The more wrapped up you got into it, the more strings of singing came.

_This is insane. _

But if you are a bird… then you can fly. Right? If you ended up being a flightless poultry, you will deny going through this whole animagus nonsense for the rest of your life.

Whipping your arms, no, wings up and down, you did elevate a little. So, you must be able to fly.

_Thank Paracelsus. _

_But... what bird was this red?_

And aflame.

_And aflame. _

“Miss Fawley, do understand me?”

The voice gained your attention. McGonagall was squatting a few steps away from you. Her wand was in hand, but her face was calm, a smile tugging at her usually pressed lips.

“Are you feeling well?”

Without thinking it through, you produced a sound of agreement. And it was true, nothing hurt anymore. It was just...complicated. It was hard to tell where was what, what belonged to you that didn’t before. But what about…

A higher pitched vibration left your chest, and this time it was clear to you you were asking a question. The professor gently smiled with a nod and motioned into the air above you. The storm was wrapping up above you, letting more sunlight take over in between bigger groups of dark grey puffs of clouds. A huge body zapped in between the shades, leaving you in awe.

“He really adjusted well to the change.” Commented your Head of House. “He might be already controlling the capabilities of his form.”

“Gosh, Minerva. Would you believe such a thing?” Professor Sprout strolled towards the pair of you, her face searching the clouds in open wonder. “Not only one, but both of them. Such rare beasts.”

_Rare?_

A huge wind blew against the ground, making grass tearing out of the soil due to the pressure, the teacher’s heavy cloaks billowing away from them as the remaining thin rain blew out of vicinity. White clashed with embers of gold, small bits of every color in the rainbow represented in soft pastels as three sets of wings lowered right above you.

_Seriously, this boy…_

Of course, he would be huge. That made so much sense, it was almost humorous. But above all the humor and awe you felt, happiness was much stronger. He was okay. Kookie got through the torture too. He was fine. More than fine.

He was a [thunderbird](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotter/images/d/d7/Thunderbird_concept_art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180813231220).

A sharp sound produced mostly by eagles tore from his strong neck, laced with a snicker. The first thing you heard from him in his animagus form was a laugh. Instinctively rolling your eyes at him, you made both women before you chuckle, the sound startling both you and your brother. It was so much more...vivid. The laughter rang in your head, echoing differently than it would’ve in your human ears.

_Do I even have ears at this point?_

“Miss Fawley, could you please try to fly to me?”

It took you a good minute before you realized Professor Flitwick was talking to you from above. He was still situated in his chair, looking completely dry and amused.

Experimentally stretching out your wings, you looked at them, turning your head side to side. This must have been funny too, because the teachers kept chuckling. You pulled both of them higher before whipping it down in a big swoop. Your body took a plunge higher, your feet - talons - tipping out of the muddy ground. Another swoop and you got higher. Within a few beats, you were at Professor Sprout’s eyelevel, lazily flapping to remain on the same altitude.

_This is not that difficult._

Aiming towards the small Charms professor, you ducked ahead, propelling through the air. The rain has stopped falling by this time, the cool wind whipping between your feathers. You’ve reached Flitwick in a few eyeblinks and you reached out with your claws instinctively to land, grabbing onto the chair’s thick arms. The furniture swayed sideways as you landed and the professor leaned away from you as you slowed yourself down by swinging your wings away from him.

“Ah, look at that! She is changing colors!” Professor Sprout called from the ground, clapping her hand together.

_Changing colors?_

“The sun. She is only reaching her final colors now because we can see better.” The professor beside you answered, his kind eyes flickering around your feathers. “Now dear, do want to try out your new abilities?”

_Abilities?_

You tilted your head at him, and you heard Kookie laugh again, his sounds carrying far away in the wind.

“Ah, I see. Hmm, how should we do this.” The old teacher hummed, furrowing his brows.

_Do what?_

“Could you please sing for us? I believe that might… help.” You turned your head down to see Professor McGonagall look up. “It’s quite… unique to this species.”

_So, I’m a song bird. Great._

Huffing and puffing at the request, you wondered which song to pick. You didn’t know that many songs by heart, you never really were a gifted singer so you didn’t bother learning any. Your mom sometimes sang while cooking, but those were more improvised than learned.

But you already sang in this form.

_Right. _

Just try to talk.

Picking up your gaze from the witch you looked at the steadily flapping thunderbird ahead of you. He tilted his head as if he were waiting too, warmly blinking at you. Wondering how he must be feeling and how you were glad about him being okay, so let air flow through your throat, hoping it will end up being a song.

A small melody picked up, gradually growing into a louder sound. It flowed almost effortlessly and really did feel like talking. You voiced your relief, the elevation of how the pain lifted and how you were happy for him to be something so majestic. The ideas passed and rounded into each other, forming into well-rounded strings of emotions with higher and lower points as a wave comes and passes, moving what could be moved.

The song lasted until you ran out of things to say, the flow trickling down to a thin line of notes, softly ending with a hum. There some noises you couldn’t really place until you saw the old professor beside you sniff and curl a finger under his eye. While you tried to figure out why was the wizard emotional the brilliant white bird lowered himself down to the ground, his talons digging into the earth without difficulty.

Interest piqued elsewhere, you took off from the levitating chair and pummeled through the sky to him, halting down right in front of him. Mulling over how similar and yet how different was flying with wings was compared to with brooms, you looked at your brother, curious about him.

Staring at him, you flapped evenly, checking how he looked. You only saw thunderbirds in sketches and drawings, seeing one in person was a much different thing entirely. He had three sets of wings to begin with, which sounds ridiculous on paper when you read it, but looking at the strong pairs lining down on his back it made sense. Now that he was grounded, his feathers were more plain, the coloring draining down to whites and golds. He turned his head as you circled around, seeing his tail feathers cover the grass behind him.

_Does he know what he is?_

_Wait… _

_What am I?_

You glanced down, similar tail feathers trailing below you. It was really… peacock-like. Not really red anymore, the coloring going from yellow to orange to purple until your belly reached a deep blue. Some tips of your feathering were ablaze, baby flames hugging the ends in blueish hues.

_Oh…_

A growing sense of realization picked at your mind while you felt something below you brush against your talons. Kook raised a wing under you and once you held onto it, he carefully lowered you, softly landing on the wet ground. Confused and uncertain, you trilled again, looking up at him. His eyes were so different now, the cool brown tone replaced by a molten gold shade, but at the same time… it was him. The way he blinked and held his head, the feathers crinkling the same way his skin would when he grinned.

He blew an exhale at you and you noticed how sparks were flying around you. Because the flames on you grew into bigger fires, reaching a more scarlet shade as they stretched into longer licks. Maybe your feelings affected the fires? Their size or color…maybe both?

_There goes my poker face then. _

You chirped at the bigger bird irritably and he stopped blowing, clicking his beak at you.

“Mr. and Miss Fawley.” McGonagall requested your attention and both of you snapped your heads in her direction. “Now comes the interesting part.” She had a more serious expression on, her two colleagues discussing something rapidly behind her, still several steps away from the two of you. “I believe you have many questions and feel the need to… talk, I presume, but first things first. You need to shift back.”

_Oh!_

_Oh._

“There is no need to worry, is not as difficult as you might be imagining.” The Transfiguration professor waved with both hands. “The trick is usually not to stress about it. Imagine your human body, what it feels like. How the world looks from that body. Things like that. You’ll shift back if you feel comfortable to be in that form again.”

_Did she really just say not to stress about it?_

Frustration bubbled in your belly and your feathers glowed in crimson flames as you felt yourself heat up. Too distracted by what was happening on your body, you had to shut your eyes while Kook whistled beside you, sending vibrations into the ground.

What is it like to be human. Well, you are much taller. And you have legs…

_This is stupid._

Everything is different. There is not one similar thing between your animagus form and your human form. Scents are different, sounds are more...detailed. And your human eyesight is pretty much useless compared to what you have now.

“Both of you need to concentrate more. Think about your favorite things. Your best memories.” McGonagall’s voice cut through your train of thought, producing a new set of heat waves coming from you. “Pick a really memorable experience. It could be whatever, good or bad as long as you remember how your body felt during. Grab onto the sense and hold it, make it your own again.”

_Memorable…_

Too many things came to your mind at once. If you had to pick one, you knew which one you wanted it to be, but the memory kept slipping away. You remembered McGonagall’s office. You knew what it looked like. You knew what it felt like when Kookie grabbed into the back of your shirt when he hugged you. You knew what it felt like when your mom laughed with tears in her eyes when she watched the two of you hug for the first time as actual brother and sister. But you could still feel your tail feathers behind you. Those things are not there when you are a human, but their presence bore into your mind like a sore thumb.

“Noona…”

The voice made you unconsciously open your eyes to look at the kneeling form of your adoptive brother. His expression looked so tender, so happy. What made him…

“Noona, do you have any idea what you are?”

_...Maybe?_

“Mom and Dad will be so proud, you have no idea. Uncle Horace will probably ask for your tears all the time” Professor Sprout snorted heavily at the last sentence which she tried to mask into a cough, while Flitwick just laughed, shaking his head. “Any closer to the answer?” Kook tilted his head in your view to gain back your attention.

Was your focus always this easily diverted?

“Mr. Fawley, I don’t really think this is the right time.” McGonagall began behind the boy.

“Professor,” Kook turned towards her. “I might not be right, but I think she can’t concentrate. My attention as a...well, bird...it was… sort of fleeting.” You could see him struggle to form the right words, hesitantly looking up at his professor. “It might help if she had something to hold onto. Something that is impossible not to pay attention to.”

The witch nodded at his words, withdrawing a little from the two of you.

“Close your eyes Noona, and think about it.” The boy turned back to you.

You did as you were told. Rolling the facts you knew, your mind whizzed. He said Uncle Horace would want your tears? Probably because it’s valuable, right? The teachers wanted you to sing… and you are still burning? No, not burning, but you have flames lining your feathers. And it’s perfectly comfortable like this. You only know one fire-type animal out there, and it happened to be a bird… something shifted. A detectable click resonated within you, shifting the world into its place without you noticing it become askew in the first place.

“I told you you will fit in my pocket, didn’t I?”

“I will most certainly NOT go into your pocket!” You snarled, looking at the boy, frustrated.

“Got you!” He laughed in your face.

You were eye level with him. With a satisfied smile, he leaned back on the palm of his hand resting on the wet grass while you whipped your head around, utterly confused.

“Kook?” You looked at him hesitantly.

“It’s cold again, right?”

Just when he said it, shivers ran down you back. Your clothes were wet and your body was only toasty for a few seconds before the elements came crashing down.

“Do you know what you are?” You tried to ask, but the words were scattered between the chattering of your teeth. Professor Sprout ran to you, wand aimed and ready with a heating charm. Hot air began to evaporate from your heavy clothes and you exhaled, your body still spasming to produce more heat. The boy shook his head while Professor McGonagall handed him a cup and then one to you too.

“This is a potion to warm you up. I asked Madam Pomfrey to brew it to make sure you won’t get sick later on.” The Head of House muttered under her breath as she examined Kook’s forehead first before moving to you. Her skin was dry against yours and she tsked when she felt you burn up. “Fair warning, the both of you will be extremely tired soon. Once the rush dies down, you’ll need to sleep. The first shift is taxing at best.”

“We need to get moving before they feel it.” Professor Flitwick noted, helping you up with surprising strength. “We can talk on the way back.”

“Right.” McGonagall replied. Kook got to his feet before anyone could offer him help, jumping a few times on the balls of his feet. “Come this way.”

The trio of professors framed the two of you with Professor Sprout going in the middle, her wand still pointed to your back. A thousand questions raced in your mind, fighting to be the first to talk about. Unable to process it all, you just placed one leg after the next, focusing on your very human limbs to move naturally. For some reason in the back of your mind you still wanted to raise your arms to move, making the effort to walk much more difficult than what is should have been. Left after the right, don’t bend too much, arms beside your torso.

“How are you two feeling?” Professor Flitwick asked curiously, breaking the stretching silence.

“Dizzy.” Kook replied instantly. “Not sick, but wobbly.”

“Yeah… and overwhelmed.” You nodded carefully. You weren’t so sure about not being sick. Paying this much attention to a simple walk started to make you feel queasy. “I don’t know what to say first.”

“Then let’s start from the beginning.” McGonagall gently noted. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” You answered her while Kookie just nodded in agreement.

“Do you know what your form is?” Professor Sprout queried merrily.

“I know what Kook is. And… this might sound very stupid, but…”

“It’s not.” McGonagall cut you off sharply. “This experience is deteriorating, confusing and overwhelming, no sense in thinking you are going to sound illogical. Go on.”

“Professor, am I a [phoenix](https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/845/186/large/wei-guan-b7.jpg?1501681281)? Is that possible?” You stared ahead of yourself, unable to bring yourself to look at her. The very idea has been throbbing in the back of your mind since you shifted back and you are going to feel destroyed if you guessed wrong. You couldn’t bear to look at her if she is going to tell you something different than an agreement.

“The chances are incredibly slim…” She started softly. “But you are. And if Horace Slughorn will contact you about acquiring your tears, please let me know. I wish to converse with him about the subject.” Her tone was so rigid it made the other two professors bite back a laugh, the wand providing the warmth of your back bouncing in laughter.

If someone were to touch your chest they would have been scared your heart might burst through your skin at the speed it was beating. Your head left light and airy, your skin tingling.

_This must be what delirium feels like. _

“What is more incredible how the two of you ended up being literal sibling species.” Flitwick’s voice escalated into a higher pitch as he talked. “However rare your forms are, for the wizarding world to gain two such animagi is a blessing. You will inspire other students to learn the art, if I may say so.”

“Professor… I’m not sure whether I even know the animal I turned into. Could someone please explain?”

“Ah, Mr. Fawley, you have a point.” The Transfiguration professor sighed, offering the boy a small smile. “Your animagus form is a magical aviation beast called thunderbird. What I mean when I say magical is that the beast has its own abilities, just like phoenixes do. That is why Professor Flitwick emphasized the rarity of today’s occurrence. Thunderbirds are able to create and control storms and are highly sensitive to danger. You may feel some of this slip into your everyday life too. Me, for example, I got better at dueling because my animagus form was gifted with agility and quick reaction times.”

“Are thunderbirds and phoenixes siblings?” Kook went on, his question sounding weaker than earlier. Your gaze automatically bounced to look at him, your uneasy stomach protesting.

“That is correct. They belong to the same beast classification too.”

“What abilities do phoenixes have? Will my sister be able to do them?”

“As you mentioned earlier, their tears are valuable.” Professor McGonagall gently noted. “Their singing is said to touch the souls of those who are listening. They are capable to lift great weights effortlessly. I believe they can transmit messages and are able to appear out of thin air, similar to apparation. And the most unique to them is their ability to reborn from their ashes. I will must take council from Professor Dumbledore on this matter, because we should be prepared if your sister experiences the life cycles of phoenixes.”

_What._

“Minerva, are you saying…” Professor Sprout gasped.

“Could my sister di…”

_What?!_

“No no no, not like that. Don’t think of the worst.” The Transfiguration professor rushed, waving with her wandless hand dismissively. “At most, I think her human form will affect her animagus form, not the other way around.”

The next few minutes were spent in silence as all of you process what was just said. Slipping from the shock of your form into the consequences of it hijacked your already overworked mind, your brain sluggishly comprehending what your Head of House said. Will you die and reborn regularly or it will only happen with certain situations? What forces phoenixes to die anyway? You never even heard of the apparation trick she mentioned, much less the weight lifting and message delivering.

_Jimin called it in September, I’m basically an owl. _

_A pretty cool owl though. _

Soon the Forbidden Forest appeared on your left while the castle hovered above you on the right, flocks of students rummaging behind the windows. In a sense it felt like so many things happened since you saw these familiar walls, but at tops, only an hour or so has passed since you left, and the school remained untouched in the time life has turned upside down for you.

“Alright, Mr. and Miss Fawley.” McGonagall stopped a few steps away from the entrance. The sun shined down on the battered walls, the light warming your cheeks in the cool air. “I would like to ask you not to tell the rest of the student body what happened today. If you really have to, only share with a few trusted friends with the outmost secrecy. Don’t shift until we have practiced them, I’ll send a note with a date. Mr. Fawley, this is more important for you to abide as your form is much bigger than the castle could accommodate. When you gained a control over your shifts, we will draw up guidelines in order to keep you safe when you fly out in your animagus form. And now, you may hurry back to your rooms. You are excused for the day, use it for restoring your strength.”

“If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Professor Sprout added before she nodded to her colleagues and darted off towards the green houses, one hand waving back to you.

“I will contact you soon.” Your Head of House gaze brushed against you while opening the set of heavy doors, the warmth coming from inside clashing against your cool clothes. The pair of professors darted up the long string of staircases while the Great Hall thundered with students eating their breakfasts.

“What now?” You looked at Kook. “Do you want to eat?”

“In the Hall?” He stretched upwards, fingers curling as he groaned. “No, not really. But I’m hungry and we need to eat. Kitchens?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.

Wordlessly taking off towards the painting of a specific fruit basket, you passed the door to the Great Hall. Monday morning was in full throttle by the sounds of it, and you skimmed through the crowd as Professor Flitwick and McGonagall took their respective seats by the teacher’s table. In the student body, you didn’t recognize anyone particular, but a felt a few pair of eyes follow you as you disappeared behind the doorway.

The elves were busy with prepping the refillable plates and drinks when you passed through the tunnel leading to the kitchens. Their buzzing only increased when they noticed you, half a dozen creatures running to you with big eyes.

“Can we just have two plates of toast?” Kook bent over to talk to them softly, his friendly behavior instantly making the gathered elves sigh in happiness, diving off into the crowd to fetch his request.

Settling down by your usual corner right by the end of the tunnel, you took up a comfortable position on a big bag of wheat as if it were a bean bag, cross-legged, back pressed to the wall.

“So, you’re a phoenix.” Kook laid down in his belly on a rustic-looking bench beside you.

“And you’re a thunderbird.” You murmured, staring at the wall opposite to you.

“We can fly.”

“And we have abilities.”

“Did it hurt for you to shift back?” The boy looked at you.

“N-no, I don’t think so.” You looked at him for a beat. “I didn’t notice shifting back. I couldn’t tell you what it’s like even though I already did it.”

“It’s… tickles. Everything is sort of…vibrating. But it doesn’t hurt.” Kook muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“I know.” You blinked, realizing how right it was, the way he put it. “If I were to wake up from a dream now, it would make sense.”

“How could our forms be so…”

“Unreal.” You nodded, satisfied with the word.

A pair of elves hurried towards you, big trays in their hands. When they reached you, one offered his to you, filled with eggs with perfectly cooked meat and at least a dozen heavily buttered toast while the other gave Kook a tray filled with a bowl of oatmeal and fruits, a pair of loaded sandwiches and pile of buttered toast as well. They scurried off the minute they gave you the food, quickly bowing a couple of times in their hurry.

“This still amazes me.” Kook put his tray down on the floor below his bench where he could easily reach it. “I just asked for toast, but they bring just the right stuff. How do they even know what I would prefer?”

“Elves are just fantastic. They know what I need before even I do. But then again, Mom knows too.” You picked up a toast and started munching on it, half-aware how the front of your robes is being scattered with crumbs. “It’s probably in their nature. You do this too.”

“Me?” Kook muffled through a big spoon of his food.

“Mhmm.”

Minutes passed as you went on eating. A creeping sense of heaviness started to blanket you, the kind of slow fever tiredness you only experienced a few times in your life. It was nice and comforting, and you felt like you could curl up on that bag of wheat any second now and fall asleep without a worry in the world. Kookie was blinking much slower too, bigger, slower puffs of exhales leaving him as he finished his meal. 

It was hard to tell whether you noticed what is happening or not. All you wanted to do was just to stay there a bit, to be more warm. It was so nice and snug, with the elves working in the background, their noises and sounds behaving as the perfect backdrop for your mind to lull into a dream. You weren’t sure, but maybe someone put a blanket on you, because it got so much better before you let yourself drift off into a deep sleep. 


	9. Chapter 9

You felt like you were in the most perfect cocoon designed to accommodate you and only you. A soft, pillowy blanket covered you from neck to toe, firmly wrapped around your feet in the snuggest way. Even though you have woken from your sleep, you didn’t want to move yet. Just acting like sleeping was enough, for now, refusing to get on with on your day. 

And what a day it will be. 

As far as you could tell with your eyes closed, no one woke up yet. There were no footsteps on the old floorboard, no noises of searching or hurrying. It would be expected to hear such things on any ordinary day, but today… it should be louder. 

Groaning with closed lips, you sat up with an unsteady hand, curiously gazing to the end of your bed. 

_ There it is. _

Blowing out an immensely satisfied exhale, you quietly scrambled to the pile weighing down on the end of your mattress. The curtains were still drawn around your bed, creating your little nest, a few strands of light lingering inside between the hanging material. The pile wasn’t exactly huge, but you were happy nonetheless. At first glance, you could distinguish 3 wrapping papers, and could even guess which belonged to who, the style of wrapping completely giving away the person making them. 

Yanking the curtain open, you quickly got out to put on some warm clothes: a wool cardigan hanging over your long sleeping shirt, reaching under your hips, and a thick sock going over your knee, a little itchy, but very warm. Cool light trickled in from the windows, snow covering the glass on the bottom with frosty patterns drawn across the glass. Air cold against your exposed skin, you quickly jumped back under the cover, sitting upright by the pile to examine it thoroughly. Quickly wrapping your overflowing hair into a side braid, your hands working their way down until only a small little tail was free, secured by a black, 100-year-old elastic fighting for dear life. 

Giddily picking up the one stretching on the top of the gift pile, you carefully rolled the cylinder-shaped package on your hands, waiting for some sort of distinguishable sound. Something was moving inside, but the cylinder shape stayed firm. Unable to wait any longer, you ripped up the neatly folded paper, the golden wrapping shredding to small pieces around you as you worked yourself through to a thick yellow parchment which gave the present its general shape. Something cool landed on your thigh, sliding down on your crossed legs towards the mattress. Carefully picking it up, a thin silver bracelet lay in your palm, two charms jiggling in the middle. Two metal feathers, one red and one grey as short as pine needle warmed up against your skin, confirming what you were thinking: this was Kookie’s present. Humming in a satisfied fashion, you quickly clasped it on your left wrist before you unrolled the parchment. 

What you saw when you opened it up jerked tears to your eyes. 

_ “This is what you look like Noona. _

_ Merry Christmas, _

_ JK” _

It was a drawing of you. Your brother’s interpretation of your animagus form. The more you stared at it, the more details and colors you’ve noticed until you were more or less sure he used everything the rainbow has to offer. The paper was pressed down where Kookie used the most shades, visibly showing how much has he worked on the piece and you loved him for every minute spent on it. It was the sweetest thing anyone has done for you and suddenly grew conscious about the jacket you got for him. It felt like you present cannot hold a candle to this drawing. 

Glancing around, none of the other curtains were pulled open, so either everyone else was still sleeping or didn’t feel like getting up yet. Gently rolling back up the parchment, you bent over your bed, ankles pressed into the mattress as you didn’t untangle your legs before you pulled out your empty suitcase from under the bed, placing the present inside and pushing it back under to safety. 

Aware of how the bracelet was rolling around your wrist, you picked up the next gift. This one was well-wrapped into a royal blue paper, yellow stars sprinkled across the wide rectangular shape. Maybe three fingers thick, the surface was bigger than your outstretched hand and it carried more weight than you would’ve thought. Popping up an attached piece of wrapping paper, your hands grew cold in anticipation of what could it be. Folding it apart one after the other, soon a black velvet box lay in your lap with a golden clasp where the top lid met with the bottom. 

Flicking the clasp open, you held your breath as you opened it, brows raising high when you saw what was inside. Silver curled with drops of ruby in shapes of tears attached to it, small white crystals hugging each tear delicately to form a beautiful and gentle necklace. A pair of matching earrings rested in the middle, the light making the red flash into life under your hovering fingers. It was stunning, the most beautiful jewelry you came to own. You saw similar pieces in your mother’s closet, and she rarely let you see them. You weren’t sure whether you actually have seen all of them, the sets going from the lightest to the deepest of hues of blues. Some inherited, some given, she held them all precious. 

You were so immersed in staring at the present, you have missed a letter attached to the inside of the lid, the slanted handwriting only catching your attention when you shuddered an exhale out, making the light bouncing off the scarlet rocks around under the pale sunlight. Picking up the letter, you carefully opened the envelope. 

_ Dearest Y/n, _

_ Today you have woken up to one of the most special Christmas mornings a person could have in their lives. It’s not just about presents, good food and an incalculable amount of hot chocolate by the fire with your little brother. Today you will attend your first ball, the Yule Ball no less. And while I do have a lot of things to lend you: advice, shoes, and all the help Sibney could give you for a full day (use it well!), but jewelry shouldn’t be one of them. Of course, you can borrow mine for special occasions, but it was time for you to have your own. _

_ This is from all of us, both sides of the family got together to give you this. While it was a little… chaotic to settle on a specific set, I do believe we have made the right decision. For our precious lioness. _

_ Don’t fret with others' opinions. Don’t mind people whispering. Do what feels right and have a wonderful night. Look out for your brother. Treat Jimin like the gentlemen he is. Maybe give Uncle Horace a thank you kiss. I’m sure he’ll be boasting about you and sweet Kookie all night. _

_ Merry Christmas and have a truly memorable first ball, _

_ Mom and Dad _

_ Ps.: In case you find yourself between a do or don’t do situation, and you think you might regret not doing anything… don’t hold yourself back. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. _

A tear splashed on the paper in your hand, and you quickly rubbed your hand against your eyes before you could get into the crying. It was too much, the gift and the letter, and with Kook’s drawing your emotional quota for the morning was more than overflowing. Letting your head roll back on your neck, you breathed in and out for a few minutes until your heart calmed down a bit. 

_ Sibney will be so worried if she sees me with puffy eyes… _

Smacking both hands on your cheeks, you tried to snap out of it, closing up the jewelry box and placing it on your nightstand with a happy sigh. 

_ I’ll have to pinch myself if this keeps up. _

Reaching for a ball-shaped, very inefficiently wrapped gift, you were sure this is your father’s doing. The wrapping paper was all over the place, lots of glue and stickers holding it together. Barely impossible to open it quietly, you tore the paper with small chuckles, finding more and more wrapping paper under the surface. Layer after layer you dug your fingers in until you reached the present itself: a basket filled with a sinful amount of Christmas desserts and sweets. Gingerbread animals lay on each other, neatly stacked brownies, chocolate banana-and colorful lemon cakes wafted towards you nose. The basket was an attack on your senses, the smell firing up your appetite. Knowing your dad, he must have baked them with Sibney last night, giving a perfectly fresh batch of his best goods wrapped in the silliest way possible. The only thing missing was… right beside your leg, as you came to notice a bottle of milk with a beautiful red bow by its neck. It must have been hidden behind the basket this entire time and you were suddenly very thankful you didn’t move more because it could have dropped and smashed to pieces.

Sinking your teeth into a fluffy lemon cake and offering it a splash of cold milk you hummed, the taste too good to be true. 

The unmistakable sound of curtains pulling earned your attention, and Angelina’s feet appeared by her bed. She took a few unsteady steps to reach your field of vision, stretching up towards the ceiling before she noticed you stuffing cake into your mouth on your bed. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/n! Good batch this year?” She whispered, and you nodded solemnly, offering the basket in her direction. “Oh, you Dad baked again?” 

She drew closer and carefully picked up a very soft looking brownie, taking a bite as she sank down on the edge of your bed. 

“I can’t believe it’s here.” You murmured, staring at the opposite wall, not really pronouncing what you were talking about. 

“I know. I can’t believe we all have partners too.” 

“Yeah. The bathroom will be occupied all day I guess.” 

“Mhmm… I was thinking of doing an early start on that.” She glanced at you as she licked off the remainder of the chocolate residue off her fingers. “Wanna do facial masks before the rest wakes up and this turns into a madhouse?”

Muttering in agreement, you whipped your legs towards the floor, the blood slowly starting to circulate in your wobbly limbs again. The two of you made your way to the bathroom and closed it carefully so the door wouldn’t creak. She put out her potions while you got ready to get rid of the hair on your legs. 

“Wait, let me help you with that!” Angelina barked as you almost began. “Try this.” 

She offered a long bottle to you, the liquid inside seemingly thick and very dark. 

“What is this?” You curiously rolled it around, unscrewing it to smell it. 

“Splash a little on your leg. It burns off the hair.” 

“It what now?” You stared at her in open wonder. “Doesn’t that hurt?” 

“No, not really, just don’t leave it on for long.” The quidditch player shrugged. “This way you won’t cut yourself, lasts a little longer, and won’t bother your skin.” 

“Did you make this yourself?” 

“Kind of. I and Alicia started brewing it last year. A cauldron is enough for about 2-3 months, and honestly, it is so much easier. I don’t have time to be meticulous and careful, so…” 

You looked at the bottle and back to her, a little uncertain. It wouldn’t bother you as much, but she said _ burn _ off and that is not something you wanted to try on this particular day. Sensing your hesitation, Angelina sat down beside you on the edge of the tub, rolling up her nightgown, one hand asking for the potion. She simply spilled some on her knee, quickly rubbing it around her calf. The substance looked thick enough to stay on and you watched in awe as she soon washed it off as if it was nothing. 

“See, that’s it.” She motioned for you to touch her leg. “That’s 30 minutes back in your life every time you want to have smooth legs.” She chuckled and jumped out of the tub, leaving the bottle behind. Murmuring your thanks, you carefully mimicked what she did, holding back your breath as you waited. The potion stung sometimes, but overall you felt nothing. 

“How long do you wait?” 

“Two minutes tops.” 

“Okay, thanks.” 

“Y/n?” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you’ll kiss Jimin tonight?”

“W-what, no!” You choked on the idea, unsure where the question came from. “Why, do you think you’ll kiss Fred?”

“I might. I don’t know.” Her tone was easy as if she was thinking out loud. “Don’t you like Jimin?”

“As a brother, yes, not like that.” You dismissed the idea, shaking your head. “And I’m sure he feels the same way.” 

“Are you sure? He looks really happy around you.” 

“Yes, because we are like that. I’m happy around him and he is too, but it doesn’t have to have anything romantic to be like that.” You grumbled. 

“Then why are you going with him?” 

You almost began how you always do. _ Because he called dibs. _ It was the truth after all and most girls dropped the topic at that point. But you started to wonder whether that was the honest answer, what you really felt like. 

“Because... he feels safe.” You muttered, and you heard her grew quiet in her movements. “I don’t really know how to say it, but after Kookie, I feel the most comfortable around Jimin. I don’t have to try to be something, act a certain way or twist myself to be fitting into the conversation. Oh Merlin, this sounds so bad.” You chuckled. “What I’m trying to say is that he knows me and I know him too and I think going to the ball with him is the best I could have.”

“To be fair, out of all your guy friends, I would want to go with Jin.” She shrugged. “But I think I get it. You should rinse it off now.” 

You quickly splashed water on your legs, panicking a little. Angelina chuckled behind you softly. 

“Do you like Fred?” 

“Ah…” She paused for a second to think about it. “It’s really either really yes or really no with him, get what I mean?” 

“No, not really.” You shook your head while checking your skin. 

“That’s fair, I guess I see it like that because we are both on the team. Sometimes he can’t be really… fierce.” You stared at her deadpanned, thinking she is pulling a joke on you. “No, no, really! The twins can be really passionate when it’s something they care about, like quidditch and their trinkets and it’s really nice to see them get into it. But at the same time, I feel like I could strangle the boy, you know what I mean? He is irritating but attractive at the same time.” 

You laughed at her words, imagining her actually strangling the red-haired boy. She chuckled with you, applying her mask carefully by the mirror. 

“Do you like anyone?” She asked casually, not really looking at you as you got out of the tub. You picked up your lotion as you thought about your answer. 

“I kind of do. It’s not a full-fledged feeling, just something tugging at me sometimes.” 

“Can I guess who is it?” 

“After asking me about Jimin?” You smirked at her. “Sure, shoot.” 

“Is it one of your friends?” 

“No.”

“Not any more or not ever?” 

You rolled your eyes at that. 

“Angelina, really. Anyways, it’s not something that will ever be anything other than what it is right now. Just a little tugging.” 

“Why, how do you know?” She watched you apply the lotion, her face already covered in her mask. “You never know what could happen.” 

“I’m fairly certain about this.” You shrugged. “I like a version of him, not what he is now.” 

“Oh…that sounds complicated.” 

“At least I don’t want to strangle him.” You grinned up at her and she waved a hand at you dismissively. 

The door opened revealing a really sleepy Katie walking in. Her hair was all over the place and she only acknowledged the two of you with a small nod. Silently making her way to a free sink, she splashed some water over her face, the splatter catching her hair in the process. Without minding much of the dripping from her head, she proceeded to sit down on the edge of the tub you were using, slowly rubbing her face with a towel in her hand. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, blinking slowly. 

“She doesn’t seem that festive.” You noted quietly. 

“Nah, she had detention late last night with McGonagall after she failed to hand in an assignment,” Angelina replied, gently touching the drying potion on her face. “She won’t wake up for another hour or so.” 

Humming along with her reply, you thanked her for the help and slipped out the bathroom. 

The other girls were barely awake, their hushed voices coming out in moans and groans as they stared at either their presents or the ceiling. You could understand them fully-heartedly: yesterday was full of studying and last-minute assignments, every teacher pushing the fifth years with whatever they could think of. There was an unspoken agreement lingering in the room about not doing anything studying related, no books, no questions, and certainly no inky fingers. Aside from all that, there was still the process of going from sleep-deprived students to ball-ready girls in a few hours. You could understand why the room isn’t full of life bursting through the roof. 

_ OWLs really do have an effect. _

Not breaking their murmuring, you went back to your bed and started putting on clothes. You needed to run an errand before getting on with this year’s Christmas. Buried in your thoughts, you sat on the edge of your bed as you pulled on a thick black legging, wondering which soft pullover should you wear above your tank top. 

“Y/n, isn’t this yours too?”

Turning to see what Angelina meant, you saw her point to a bundle right beside your bed. The cover you threw off of yourself covered most of the vivid violet-colored present on the floor, and you picked up it curiously. 

_ Who could this be? _

The wrapping held no clues about the person who made it. It wasn’t well wrapped with small pieces of Scotch tape littering over the surface, but you could tell whoever made it took their time to make it look presentable. The whole thing was very roundish, the content felt squishy and your curiosity was skyrocketing by the time you realized there is no note. At least not on the outside. 

_ Maybe inside… _

Gently pulling off the tape one by one, you worked the wrapping paper off of what seemed like something scarlet. The material was very soft, the finely woven threads swelling up between your fingers, and when you were done with the paper it slipped out of its folded state, spilling down towards the floor. 

It was the most vibrant, most fluffy looking pullover you have ever seen. Impossibly gentle to the touch, loose enough to have it be off-shoulder, and long enough to wear it like a dress. Which you immediately took advantage of, pulling your arms through the arms with a content sigh. It really did roll down a long way, the hem hovering not far from your knees. As if the most comfortable blanket you like to snuggle up on the couch with at home has turned into a wearable item without looking stupid in the process. 

The only question left was answered when you felt something prickle right by the nape of your neck, and you pulled out a tightly folded note tangled between your hair and your new piece of clothing. 

Your heartbeat jumped to pulsate in your throat as you unfolded the parchment, the sense of recognition creeping up on you ever so slowly. 

_ “Merry Christmas.” _

\---------------------------------

Rushing up from the kitchens, you hurried towards the Astronomy classroom, a pair of house-elves on both sides with a considerable amount of food, giddily bouncing. Cursing at the number of stairs leading up to your designated destination, you wondered why on Earth did you and your friends choose that specific classroom years ago. Rounding a corner, you ran into Hobi who must have been making his way to the same destination. 

“Lovely Christmas morning to my lovely Gryffindor!” He cheered, his hands full with bags bursting of decoration. “Is that the food?” 

“Merry Christmas Hobi! Yeah, plus I have my Dad’s baking too.” You nodded, spring returning to your step as you launched up a new series of stairs. 

“Kookie?”

“I think Jin is occupying him for now. But he probably knows.” 

“Right, it’s not that surprising for the fourth time I guess.” He shrugged lightly. “But I still love doing this. It’s nice to have our own little tradition.” 

“What about Maggie?” 

“Oh, you know. They have a girl thing in the morning, so it’s fine. I think we’ll do the present swapping during the ball.” 

“Mmm, I guess you are confident in your gift then.” You flashed him a smile, the effort mauled by your panting caused by the stairs. “I’ll have to leave a little early because of the ball, now that you mention it.” 

“Getting all dolled up, right?” The Hufflepuff winked at you. “You already look nice though. New sweater?”

“Yeah…” You mumbled. “Sibney will get here around the afternoon, I reckon she’ll poof me out of the room the second she gets here.” 

“I’m sure you’ll look wonderful by the time she finishes. Do you know what Jimin will look like?” 

“To be honest, I’m surprised he didn’t waltz in my face when he got his dress robes.” You laughed at the idea, able to picture it very clearly. “But he did tease about changing his hair color for the occasion. What will you wear?” 

“Oh, nothing fancy.” He murmured happily. 

“You’ll look dashing Hope-ah.” You nudged his elbow, earning a slightly embarrassed laugh from him. “Save me a dance, will you?” 

“For sure, if Jimin lets me.” He barked a laugh. “I bet he’s already nervous.”

“Who, Jimin?” 

“Yeah. I think all of us are nervous. It’ll be a new experience!” Hobi spared you a puzzled side-eye. “I thought you’ll be a little tense too. Don’t all girls like balls?” 

“Oh, I think I’ll like it. But right now, it’s Christmas. I’m not thinking about the ball.” You reached the right floor, near the door of the classroom. “I think I’ll tense up right before. You know, when I’m ready and need to get going. I think that will be my turning point.” You chuckled, feeling that particular tension he mentioned building in your chest. 

Hobi reached the door first, opening it up and letting you go through. 

Joon and Yoongi were already in there, the former setting up four Christmas trees while the latter was conjuring pillows and blankets out of thin air, slightly muttering under his breath. 

“Aah, look who got up early this morning!” Hobi whooped as he noticed the two already working inside. The two elves carefully put down the food they have been levitating in the air and scurried to help each boy with their tasks with enthusiasm in their steps. 

“I wanted to get a good head start this year.” Joon nodded towards the pair of you as a greeting. “Make it really nice this year, you know.” 

“That doesn’t explain the grumbling one here.” You mused, glancing in Yoongi’s direction. 

“Depends on how you look at it. I’m sure he’ll fall asleep the second he deems the pillows sufficient.” 

“You bet I will.” 

You chuckled at the banter, pulling up your sweater to your elbows so you could access your wand easily. Seeing how Hobi got started decorating the windows with ice drawings above you on the ceiling, you went to help Yoongi. He and the elf continued to build up a considerable number of pillows, but you thought to take a different approach. 

_ “Engorgio!” _

You pointed at a maroon-colored pillow with golden pompoms on its corners and enlarged it until you could easily use it as a mattress. The Slytherin watched the process with slightly parted lips and a blank expression before copying the idea. Soon there were half a dozen huge pillows laying around and the elf drifted off to help the Hufflepuff boy out, and you giggled as Yoongi planted into a silky black pillow face first with all his body following suit. 

“Hey, are we decorating the trees together by houses this year too?” Joon asked, wand in hand as he grew mistletoes on the ceiling. 

“And help Hobi with his?” You heard Jimin ask from the door. “Merry Christmas everyone!” 

He walked in, a ball off happiness as he hugged each and everyone, even shaking the elves' hand before sitting down beside his half-asleep housemate. 

“Don’t just sit down, we have things to do Jiminie.” Hobi commented as he watched the silver-haired boy get comfortable. “Merlin knows how long can Jin occupy that kid.” 

“Sure, sure.” Softly smiling at his friend, Jimin drew his wand, conjuring a few glittery silver stands and flicked them to fall on the mistletoes in gentle curves. 

“Mmm, let’s get some red in there before I feel under-represented.” You murmured, summoning more scarlet-colored decorations. Sparkling ornaments appeared in shapes of spheres, stars, and hearts, levitating above your heads as they slowly started to circle around. After giving it a thought, you made a few golden ones too. 

“Gah, too much Gryffindor.” Yoongi groaned from his designated pillow. The pair of elves giggled from a decorated table you didn’t see appear, the food tastefully placed on glass plates and ornamented bowls as Yoongi drew crystals on every tree, making the four evergreens look like they have been just hauled into the room from a magical forest. 

“Okay, you know what.” You whipped up your wand, turning your ornaments into spheres one by one and planting a bluebell flame into them to provide a warm light. 

“Not quite.” Joon, persuaded one closer to him to turn the flame from its blueish hue into yellow. “I like my house colors, but this is better.” He let go of the ball, swishing his hand in a long motion and all the flames followed suit. “Now make them move.” 

You nodded, smiling to yourself. 

“This only works if it gets a little darker in here.” Hobi hummed as he watched. “But then why did I fuss with the windows?”

“I think it looks pretty like this too. It’s nice to have a little sunshine in.” Jimin hummed, basking under the light with closed eyes. He flicked his own wand around to shut the regular windows, earning a half-shadowy room.

“Speak for yourself,” Yoongi muttered. 

After a few minutes of finishing touches, you all sat down, waiting for the door to open. You wedged up between the Slytherin boys, you and Jimin on your backs while Yoongi on his stomach. Joon stacked up a few smaller pillows to support his back right by the raven-haired snake while Hobi sat cross-legged, his face half turned towards the door. 

“Do you think he’ll come?” He mused out loud, one of his feet bouncing aimlessly. 

“Of course, he will, he loves Christmas,” Joon muttered. “What would be more interesting if he and her sister would finally shift for us.” 

You held your breath a little, while you felt Yoongi shift a little, hiding his face so only you could see him smiling to himself. Almost rolling an eye at him, you held back, making the boy turn his smile into a grin. 

“As much as I agree, I don’t think Hobi was talking about Kookie.” Jimin murmured, turning his face towards you. “Right, Y/n?”

“If you are talking about Taehy…” 

“Of course, they are. But he won’t show.” Yoongi drew in his elbows under his torso to support his shoulder higher. “He hasn’t shown up in the last few days in the Great Hall, hasn’t he?”

“Is he scared of something?” Joon pulled his brows together. 

“More like avoiding someone.” Hobi sighed. “Ellie has been whining in the common room over a week now. I’m not saying I’m sad for her, but it’s really difficult in there.” 

“Why, what is she saying?” Jimin craned his head to look at the Hufflepuff, occasionally glancing towards you. Feeling his inspections, you stayed on your back, staring at the ceiling silently while you fiddled with your pullover’s material. The silky threads rolled around under your thumb easily as the boys went on. 

“That something must have happened. How she doesn’t understand why is he like this. He is not avoiding her completely, just meets her maybe about once a day. And she is all over the place because of it.” Hobi monotonously explained. “She was really upset about not coordinating their ball clothes more than once, I vividly remember that from last night.” 

You had to swallow back a scoff, feeling yourself warm-up in anger. 

“You just want to burn her hair off, don’t you?” Yoongi noted airily, cutting over something Jimin started to say. 

“Wait, what.” Joon sat up. “You know what her form is?!”

“Oops.” The Slytherin boy feigned a pout, silent laughter shaking his shoulders. 

“Yoongi!” You laughed, raising your torso just enough to slap his arm. The three boys around you burst into yelling and the elves in the corner trembled slightly, not following what is going on. 

Truth be told, the morning after you’ve fallen asleep in the kitchen with Kook, you didn’t really go around to advertise what happened. In a way, you wanted to tease your friends, only telling them by shifting. Which McGonagall specifically asked you not to until you have practiced with her. 

During the tight week leading up to Christmas, you only had the opportunity to meet her once right after Transfiguration. It was a short session a day before Christmas where McGonagall took you to the seventh floor, opening a room you have never seen before. It was huge on the inside, spacious enough to fit Kookie in there in his animagus form. Trying to wrap your head around whether she enlarged the room herself or it was like this by design, your teacher proceeded to shift into her cat form and back, explaining how it felt as she took a seat in an armchair that appeared out of nowhere. 

What your Transfiguration professor truly wanted was to explain the general feeling she has while shifting, describing it in such detail she showed signs of embarrassment by the end of it. And while you noticed, you were paying too much attention to find her rambling funny. It sort of made sense what she was saying but not at the same time. 

Kook seemed to understand her more than you, filling up the gaps McGonagall left in her narrative, and they were on the same page suddenly, leaving you behind. Your irritation at your lack of following the conversation turned into anxiety in a matter of minutes and soon there was no talking at all. You missed the last part of what they were saying and it was time to try what was explained before and you had no idea what you needed to do. 

“Miss Fawley, you are too tense.” Your Head of House frowned at you, her gaze drifting from your hands to your shoulders before meeting your eyes. “Remember what it felt like to have wings, not flexing something that is clearly not there.” 

_ Because that makes sense. _

_ Obviously. _

“_ Oh!” _Kookie exclaimed a little further away from you, earning both of your stares. By the time your eyes fixed on his form, he was already gone as a human. He grew into a huge bird after trying for less than five minutes. 

_ Sigh. _

A shrill sound left the enormous creature, making the windows chatter in their sockets as he happily turned his head around to look at his own body. Unable to lift his wings from his body, he scratched at the floor hesitantly before he was gone in a blink of an eye. 

“Splendid Mr. Fawley. I believe you understand the trick of it.” The professor beside you commented. “Now then, Miss Fawley…” She turned back to you and you felt yourself shrink away a little before trying to snap out of it. 

You already did this before. 

_ This is nothing new. _

Just remember your wings. 

A muscle twitched in your upper arm, reminding you how featherless you still were and you let out a long exhale in irritation. 

“Noona, wait a second.” You heard Kook jog to you. “Do you remember what your tail felt like?”

Blinking at him while holding back all your frustration was starting to take a toll on you when you suddenly remembered the extra weight and its pull. How could you forget it, it was impossibly ridiculous. All your balance was pushed back from its usual place to further back, and you could feel the feathers tailgating after you like a freakishly long dress. 

“That’s it, keep thinking about it.” Kook murmured, but his voice was different now. Much richer, more dimension to expand to. Alarmed by the change is his voice you tried to call out to him but your own voice was gone too, a trill bouncing off the walls sharply. 

“Wonderful. You were both able to shift at will.” McGonagall noted, nodding to your form sitting on the floor. Well, you weren’t exactly sitting, but your phoenix was much shorter than what you were used to, only reaching as high as Kook’s hip. 

_ That’s not exactly what happened. _

_ But sure. _

Your brother kneeled down beside you, his eyes shining in amusement as he watched you test out your new body. You could feel his gaze was on you, but you were more unsure of yourself than the first time you turned. Back then, you didn’t know what was happening and just… went with it. Now you were completely aware, your attention snapping from one curiosity to the next, discovering things about your form. The boy beside you just laughed as you checked what it was like under your wing, or how long does your neck bend, how high can you lift your tailfeathers or can your talons dig into the hardwood floor below you. 

It was all very disorienting, but fitting at the same time. Not really knowing how to phrase it all, it made sense in a very out of the box way. 

There was a pulling sensation coming from your side, and when you snapped your attention towards it, you saw Kook fiddle with your feathers. Unsure of his intention, you skidded away, making him laugh at you more. Irritation bubbling up, you took off towards the ceiling, landing on one of the bigger arches decorating the inside of the room. Letting the two humans to their devices, you looked around up above, discovering the space you never had the chance to look around in. 

Drifting to one arch to the next, you noticed how your vision was much different, the colors and their tones more… alive than to your human eyes. Nothing was really black anymore, colors bursting from what you knew with your mind to be black. The shadow behind the curtain was more purple to blue than black, while the deep shade of the supposedly black floor was rich green. Even Professor McGonagall’s hat was reaching a thick red shade than what it actually was. But which one was real, the phoenix sight or the human one?

_ Maybe both? _

“Alright Miss Fawley, please come back to us. I have an experiment for you.” 

What you believed to be a disappointed sigh came out as a melancholic melody, surprising both you and Kook, while McGonagall held up her arm for you to apparently land on? Jumping off the arch, you extended your wings to circle down to her, carefully grabbing hold of her lower arm. Bit of balancing and reattaching your talons onto her limb, you looked down on her face curiously. 

“Miss Fawley, I want you to try and lift me.” 

Your beak must have fallen apart in surprise while Kookie gasped somewhere to the left from you. 

“Professor, wouldn’t it be better if she were trying to lift me instead?” 

“No, Mr. Fawley, it wouldn’t be. In case she drops you, you either brake something in your body or shift and brake the room. Me, on the other hand, would land on my feet in my cat form, and all is well. Or just use my wand.” 

She turned her gaze to your and nodded firmly. 

You blinked more than once to actually wrap your head around the request. It was hilarious on one side, how she just instructed you to lift her. Her, of all people. And then explain how she would just land on her feet because she is a cat animagus. Absolute gold. 

But then again she is one of your favorite professors and you could never walk into her classroom if you were to cause her any harm. You can’t just lift her by her arm, you could tear it down accidentally for Merlin’s sake. You didn’t know how strong a phoenix is, how are you supposed to lift her without doing any damage? 

Running ideas in your mind, you chirped to get her attention instead of her expectation. Raising both your wings to touch high above you, you wanted her to follow. The professor drew in a breath to start talking, but Kookie was faster.

“Like this?” He asked, both arms above him, hands connected. You did a quick bow to agree, leaving McGonagall stuttering a bit as she understood what you wanted from her. Taking off into the air again, you lazily flapped to keep you in place not far above from her, clearly waiting until her hands were up, fingers laced together. 

Not exactly what you were aiming for, you still tried. Carefully aiming for her hands, you gently wrapped your talons around her wrapped hands and tried to pull. Air gushing more between your feathers, you pushed your wings down with bigger force, eyes fixed on the ceiling where you wanted to go. 

It came as a surprise how you didn’t need to struggle at all. Half a dozen flaps in and you were halfway up in the huge room, your teacher securely hanging onto you. Not really understanding whether you were this strong or this was just a skill your phoenix could do, you looked down to check on her. 

“Alright, please put me down.” She said in a steady voice. 

A few careful movements later her feet touched the ground again, and you landed between your professor and your brother, looking for the next task. 

“Turn back Miss Fawley, we need to wrap this up.” 

“Noona?” Kook pointed to the pocket of his robe, making you scoff. They clearly thought you would be able to shift just like that. Maybe it is easier to turn into a human than to an animal. Thinking back what McGonagall told you, you just need to remember what your human body feels like. The way your legs hit the floor as you walk, how your arms move alongside your torso as you run, the way your hair whips, especially when it’s up in a ponytail…

“Good job. You are able to turn at will now.” The less rich voice of your professor reached your very human ears, making you see the contrasting difference between hearing it while you are in your animagus form. “And you have at least two of your forms abilities. You can sing and you can lift weights effortlessly. Mr. Fawley, the next time we will see whether you can control the weather as I believe you can. You showed promise when you turned for the first time, but we need to be certain.” 

Both of you nodded, following her outside to the corridor. The door disappeared after she closed it, sinking back into the wall as if it was never there. Maybe the room belonged to the Head of Houses for use? Or professors in general?

“Please be wary of shifting on your own. At least have each other to guide yourself with. Mr. Fawley, you should never turn inside the castle. I’m sure you understand, but to be very precise about it. Miss Fawley, you need practice from your human form to your animagus one, I believe you understand that too. We will meet again after the holidays for further tests. Additionally, you need to fill out your registration forms for the Ministry. I have an inkling to believe they will send their own inspectors to mark down your specifications. Until then, finish the rest of the year strong, hand in your assignments, and have a lovely holiday.” She tipped her chin before gliding down the stairs, not waiting for your answers. 

“What now?” Kook asked as the castle began to darken. The sun must have set outside as the fires came to life on the torches, quiet cracks whipping in the silence. 

“I think we should find Yoongi.” You smiled up at him. Quickly sprinting downstairs, you tried to remember what was his schedule before remembering how the day has already ended for schoolwork. Targeting the library, you paused outside. 

“I think he should be here.” You muttered. “But Madam Pince will lose her mind if I accidentally burn a book.” 

“Don’t get excited then.” Kook chuckled at you. “Or… “

The boy went on to explain what he was thinking about, earning muffled shrieks from you. 

“McGonagall would kill us for this!” You gaped at him, but he just shrugged.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?” 

“And what if somebody else sees me?” 

“They’ll just think you’re Fawkes!”

“But what if I don’t look like Fawkes? I’ve never seen that bird in my life!”

“Exactly. I don’t think anyone has!” 

You continued to stare at him, completely astonished. 

“You are a genius. How are you not in Ravenclaw?” 

“Too rowdy I guess.” He grinned at you, nose scrunching adorably as he held back his laughter. “Let me check where is he inside, you circle around and wait for my signal, okay?”

Mouth still hanging open, you just nodded as you tried not to laugh too loudly. He slipped inside, closing the door behind him silently. You waited for a couple of seconds, your nerves skyrocketing. The corridor remained empty, only the fires flickering on the walls to believe there was movement. Slowly strolling to the nearest window, you blinked outside to see a good amount of snow covering the bottom of the glass outside. 

Would the window creak if you open it with this much snow outside? Is it frozen in the casement? 

Whipping out your wand from under your left wrist, you cast a charm to blow warm air on the inside of the glass to open it more easily. 

“Noona!” 

Kook flew to you, scaring the living hell out of you. 

“He is in his usual spot. Fifth window from the front on this side.” He pointed through the window you’ve been warming. “Come on, shift quickly!” 

Slapping his shoulder lightly for scaring you, you did as he asked, closing your eyes and thinking about your tailfeathers pulling back on you. It took less to remember what it’s like when you had those particular feathers not too long ago and soon you were not only remembering them but having them, their weight grounding you from the back. 

“Good. Merlin, your form really is nice. Better than a ferret anyway…” You angrily huffed at him that came out as a hiss. “Right, right. Come on, Noona, let me open this for you.” 

Kookie snapped the window open, the cold harsh air ruffling his hair up. Before he could feel the cold, you raised yourself up with a few strokes of your wings, brushing against your brother before disappearing into the night sky. Faint ribbons of purples, scarlets, and oranges peppered the horizon, their color reflected in your feathers, and the tips slightly burned in small flames. A gentle breeze came to ruffle through your feathers, the sensation refreshing and intoxicating at the same time. You wanted to go with it, let it carry you for hours. The sky stretched above you while only a small drop was below you from the first floor, the yellowish lights of the library illuminating your small body. 

Lazily drifting by the windows you slowly counted until you saw the fifth one, your black haired friend sitting right under the window, towering stacks of books shielding him from the outside world. His little bubble was interrupted when Kookie appeared by his table, earning the older boy’s attention. You flew a little closer and landed on the other side of the window, patiently waiting for your brother to point at you. He grinned ear to ear as he had the Slytherin’s full attention, talking a little with his hand while the boy sitting in front of him perked up, his back straightening before he snapped to look at you with the widest set of eyes you have ever seen on him. 

Yoongi slammed a hand on his lips before he quickly cast something behind him and yanking the window open. 

“Sweet Merlin, look at you.” He whispered as you carefully stepped in and he closed back the window. “This is crazy.” 

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Kook asked blatantly, making you flush. Apparently that made your little fires grow a bit and Yoongi held his hand back a little. “Oh, don’t worry, she doesn’t burn. I don’t know how, but she didn’t burn me when she flew past me.” 

“Really?” Yoongi extended his hand to carefully touch your neck. “Interesting. I can feel something, but it really doesn’t burn. Maybe it’s because of her attachment to us? Would she burn let's say...Ellie?” 

A bigger burst of flames was your answer as you hissed again, making both boys chuckle. 

“Lucky girl, you are a phoenix.” The older one murmured, his hand traveling up and down your neck. “But if you are… Kookie?” He turned to the boy, hand still on you. “You sly little… what are you?” 

“Oh. Right.” The boy giggled, his eyes meeting yours before wrapping his fingers together, thumbs rolling around in the air. “My form is a thunderbird.” 

Yoongi sucked in an inhale sharply, staring at the now slightly blushing boy before he turned to you, pupils blown out of proportions and mouth open. 

“Are you guys serious? This kid, a thu… and you! What in Merlin’s name… no way. Can you turn too? Now?” 

It took you a minute to think it through, but you concentrated for a moment before you shifted back into your human form. It was true, shifting back to your human form was much easier than turning into an animal. A split second later, you were sitting on the window sill in your human form, fighting back your laughter as Yoongi whipped his hand away from your neck as if you burned. 

“I think he would blow a hole into the castle wall if he were to turn here, but sure, why not Kook?” You murmured, clearly enjoying how you made the Slytherin lose his cool over your sudden shift. JK just chuckled, offering you a thumbs up as he bent over a little over his struggle not to laugh too loudly. 

“Damn it, Y/n, I almost had a heart attack! Don’t do that!” Yoongi hissed, his face still open in shock. 

“Sorry, I just had to.” You grinned. “I did promise I would tell you first and well…” You shrugged. 

“Does it hurt? Well, probably not. When did this happen?!” The black-haired boy littered you with questions and you answered them with Kook, silently filling him in with the story that took place a few days ago. The stacks of books covered you as he learned what happened and let you know how proud he is of the both of you. 

That was last night. 

As you lay on your back and listened to the exploding questions from Jimin, Joon, and Hobi, you just looked the older Slytherin in the eye, sighing as he grinned down at you from his lifted torso, shaking his head in admittance. 

“Just do it already.” 

Curtly nodding with a twitching smile on your lips, you pushed your eyes shut, tugging at your imagination to shift. When the boys’ voice changed, you knew you managed to do it again and you shot up towards the ceiling in the air so they could see clearly. 

“No way Y/n!” Joon yelled from below, his eyes the size of saucers. Trilling in laughter, you shut your wings close to your body to promptly plop down beside him, only opening them again before landing to soften the impact. The Ravenclaw yelped in fear, making Yoongi snort in violently as he slammed his hand on the pillow while he laughed, open-mouthed. 

Joon stared at you, wide-eyed and astonished, and you basked in the attention. Holding out a hand towards you, you hopped closer and brushed against his fingertips to show you don’t burn. 

“Is she a… Joonie.” Hobi whispered, stuck in his posture. “Is she really a…” 

“Yeah.” Joon nodded, his hand less trembly now. “I think so. I never saw one before. Very interesting color scheme. She is not exactly red and yellow like I thought they are.” 

His index finger brushing from your neck to your back, he started to concentrate more as he recalled what he knew. Much to your surprise, he kept it to himself, not listing off phoenixes characteristics and skills as you believed he would in class. He offered you a dimpled smile, point towards something behind you. 

Hobi and Jimin were huddled together by your tailfeathers, both on their knees as they inspected the feathers closely without actually touching them. 

“Those two look hilarious!” Yoongi laughed, still overcome with his enjoyment. Rarely has he showed his side and you chuckled in your mind at him, the wide grin on his face reminding you of the small kid he possibly was when he was little. 

Burying your head in Joon’s hand before hopping towards the pair behind you, you trilled questioningly, looking down on their bent over figures. Both boys looked up, Hobi instinctively rolled back into a cross-legged position and motioned for you to go there. Thinking he must have forgotten you understand human speech, you humored him, holding onto his knee as you stood almost in his lap. 

“Waaah, this is crazy!” He giggled, taking it all in. “Does it hurt?” 

You shook your head. 

“Is it different?”

Nod.

“Umm… can you sing?” 

You paused at that. You didn’t want to sing. Bending your head one way and then the other, you hoped it was a sufficient way to say so-so. 

“Alright. You can obviously fly. Joon, what do phoenixes do?” The Hufflepuff looked at his friend

“Wait, so we are saying she is a phoenix. As in an actual magical beast?” Jimin whispered from Hobi’s side, scaring you for a minute which made your flames stand tall for a second. “Whoa, did you see that? Did I scare you?” 

Offering him a look, you huffed. 

“She is a phoenix, yes. I don’t know whether she has the abilities of a phoenix too.” Joonie replied, his voice very soft, almost fatherly. “Yoongi, how did you know?” 

“Oh, I helped them. Right before their month, remember when I helped with nonverbal spells?” Joon must have nodded at that, so the Slytherin boy went on. “Well, I asked Y/n to be the first to tell her form, so they jumped me last night in the library. Scared me out of my socks, those two.” 

As the boys went on, you hopped off of Hobi’s knee and raised your wings to gain just enough altitude to land on Jimin’s thigh. The silver-haired boy smiled at you softly, wordlessly asking you to show him your wing. He still paid attention to what the boys were talking about, chuckling every now and then as Yoongi progressed with the story, fingers brushing single feathers as carefully as he could. 

“Leave it to you to pull something like this off.” He chuckled under his breath. “Not a carnivore then I guess.” 

Offering him a low hum, you readjusted your balance on his leg, slowly getting tired of not being able to participate in the conversation. Remembering not to shift where you were, you hopped off Jimin’s leg to the pillow next to him, giving yourself a minute to concentrate on shifting back. 

“Aaand, she is back.” 

“I feel like I stole Christmas, honestly.” You muttered, looking at your friends. 

“Christmas starts when your kid brother gets here.” Hobi waved a hand dismissively. “How did McGonagall react to all this?” 

“Ah, hard to tell. I wasn’t really paying attention to her while it all happened. The first shift was really intense.” 

“And now you know how to become an animagus.” Yoongi tilted his head to the side. “I bet you would tell us if we would want to go through with it too.” 

“Why, do you want to?” Joon looked at the older Slytherin with surprise in his expression. 

“No, not at all. But I bet everyone in the room thought about it for a split second.”

“True. It would be nice to know what your form is without going through…” Jimin motioned towards you. “... all that you guys went through. How much did it hurt to shift for the first time.” 

“A lot.” You looked at one of the trees behind Joonie’s shoulder. “It’s hard to put it into words, but it was scary, and burning and… I couldn’t breathe. I thought I’m burning down the field we were on. Some part of me wanted to strangle Kook for doing this with me.” 

“What _ is _ he?” Hobi yelled, suddenly remembering your not the only animagus he knows. 

“You didn’t tell them?” You grinned at Yoongi. He just zipped up his lips with his hand, brows wiggling in anticipation. “Oh, then I won’t either. It's his form after all.” 

“Oh, come on!” Jimin groaned, Hobi pouting wildly at you while Joon just sighed in defeat, not pushing on the matter. 

“Jin is going to murder me anyway for shifting without him here.” You noted, wondering where the missing boys are. 

“Who am I going to murder?” A familiar tone sounded from the door. “Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you are ready for our little Gryffindor. 

“No, don’t say it like that, I’m not a kid anymore!” 

“Oh, just go in and love it!” 

The two boys busted through the door, Kookie being shoved in by Jin. His doe eyes seized up the room and the five of you sitting down in the middle of it, lips slightly parted. 

“Every time... “ Jin muttered before he noticed the wonder-filled expression of his friend. “You like it?” 

“Yeah…” Kookie trailed off sheepishly. His eyes were much shinier than a second before and you quickly got to your feet to envelop him in a hug. You knew he was thinking of how he didn’t deserve all the preparation you guys put into the room and everything that was waiting for him, but you won’t let him believe that. Your big red pullover covered the boy from his shoulders, and he melted into the hug, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. 

“Whats up Kookie?” You murmured under your breath so only he would hear you. “Seems like we got you good this time, eh? You didn’t even see the food yet.” 

He chuckled into your neck followed by a tight hiccup, arms tightening on your back. 

“Group hug!” Jimin yelled, bouncing to your side and wrapping his arms around both of you. Hobi followed his lead instantly, Jin and Joon too as they persuaded the now groaning Yoongi to join in. Kook shuddered a little, gentle laugh slipping through his sobs. 

“Seriously kid, we do this every Christmas. How do you still get overwhelmed?” Hobi airly laughed into Jimin’s shoulder. 

“It’s nice, okay?!” He yelled as he held his lips away from your ear. “It’s not something you get used to.” The latter sentence was against your neck again as you swept a hand into his hair. 

“Sibney will scold you if you keep this up Kook.” You commented. “We have a ball tonight and I need you to put all the fourth years to shame.” 

“Please, the kid looks good enough to go like this, and nobody would argue,” Jin noted. 

“True, he could pick up a girl or two before he gets to the Great Hall,” Jimin added, mischievously giggling at the idea. 

“Hey, don’t tease him. I was serious!” You defended, feeling the boy tense up under your hand. 

“I was too!” Jin shot over his shoulder as he made his way to the food. “Mark my word, the second I step out of this castle for good, he’ll be the most sought out Gryffindor. Guys and girls included.” 

“You know what.” You stared at the back of his head. “I think I agree.” 

“Noona!” He whined, trying to escape out of your hold. 

“So, Kook.” You let him dart to the food, hiding the remnants of his tears. “How about we eat, swap stories of our gifts, and then go for a little excursion?If we have the time of course.” 

“Excursion?” Jin eyed you curiously. “Where do you want to go?” 

“Oh, I was just thinking. You all could summon a thicker coat here, put it on and just _ fly out of here. _”

“Guys, what's with her?” Jin eyed the rest of the boys with worry, but they held their tongue, only an occasional tremble giving them away. 

Jin forgot about your comment as you all settled down with your food, sharing what each of you got for Christmas while you destroyed breakfast. Once most of the food was gone, Hobi suggested to get going with the trees, offering the bags of decoration he carried up all the way from the Hufflepuff common room. 

“You know, I keep forgetting Joonie needs help with his tree too,” Hobi muttered as he gave him a bag full of blue decoration. “How about we share the workload. I help you with yours and you help me with mine?” 

“That honestly sounded much dirtier than it should’ve.” Yoongi intercepted Joon’s answer, rendering the pair to a stuttering mess, while Jimin tripped to the floor, laughing his bottom off. You blew out a long sigh you held in for a good minute, remembering how Joon used to decorate his tree with Taehyung. In a tiny, small corner of your mind, you thought he would show up. Maybe even come clean about what has been going on with him. The small things he did had you confused, unsure about what was going on. Did he do similar things for the others too? You didn’t dare to ask in case the answer was no. You weren’t ready to face that reply. 

Kook quietly sang under his breath as you went on to decorate all of the trees. Under the levitating lights above you, the four trees filled up with all kinds of shapes and forms, colors indicating the four houses. Sparkling painted glass balls glistened as the fresh smell of evergreens filled the air. An occasional noise would break the peace, Jimin stabbing a finger on the pine needles or Joon accidentally dropping a breakable piece. Yoongi grumbling under his nose how light green decorations made no sense on a tree. But the room was undisturbed for several more hours, as you played, laid around, and ate with the boys, the door never reopening again to signal someone’s arrival. No matter how many times you glanced at it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this went a little differently than I've imagined. But I hope you'll like it either way!  
I may have hidden a little reference in there, please let me know if you find it! ^.^
> 
> What do you guys think is coming? We are three days away from something BigHit has been teasing since last Saturday... I think it's JK's mixtape. I hope it is, not some ad or game or something like that. And the self-made album? What do you think?


	10. Chapter 10

*_ Pop! _*

One minute you were laughing into Kookie’s stomach as you have been using his torso as a pillow, faintly thinking maybe Jimin just fell off his own pillow due to his own giggling when the warmth under you disappeared and you were suddenly standing in a deserted classroom. 

“Merry Christmas my Lady, I hope had a pleasant day so far.” 

You noticed the small house elf by the teacher’s table, this time in a soft black and white set, her hand quickly snatching up a hairbrush before she shot in your direction, already down to business. 

“Merry Christmas Sibney. Yes, it was alright. Everything okay at home?” 

“Yes, my Lady. Your parents visited both sides of the family after breakfast, had dinner at your grandmother’s residence. They are very excited for your upcoming ball.” 

Your dress was already hanging on one of the windows knobs with all the necessities: a pair of silvery shoes were placed on the window sill, the black box you recognized as the jewelry set you received that morning. A skin-colored leather strappy looking thing was close to the shoes, and you guessed it was probably for your wand, while a hairpiece was glittering beside it in the shape of icy flowers. 

“I see.” She conjured a chair that was vaguely similar to the chair your mother used by her vanity table, sitting you down and gently unwrapping your braid. “And how was yours? Got any good presents?” 

“Oh, yes. Thank you for the oil paint set my Lady, I have been using them since dawn.” 

She went on to describe what has she painted, going into detail as she started to condition your hair, fingers brushing through your locks with practiced ease. The house-elf had you comfortable and loose within minutes, letting you listen to her with closed eyes. Soon she had you in soft curls, charming them to levitate up behind you. Making sure the ribbon-like locks won’t come forth, she switched to your skin, applying a hydrating potion on your face, neck, and arms. Her hand was warm on you, her stories long gone as she started to hum one of Kookie’s favorite songs in perfect tune. 

“My Lady, I’ll let you rest a little now. Your skin is drying, and your hair is still cooling. I’m going to get Miss Granger to begin on her hair if that is alright.” 

“Sure, go ahead. And Sibney?” You opened an eye to look at the happily content house elf. “Thank you, you did wonderfully so far.” 

“Thank you.” She flashed a wide smile before disappearing in a loud crack. 

Minutes passed in complete silence. It was a funny feeling not having your hair against your back and you were very much aware of how the potion was drying on your arms, the cool tingling drawing in your attention where it was still stealing warmth. The more time seemed to stretch, the more you began to fidget in your seat, the back not as comfortable now that all your focus was on it. Thinking of pulling a leg up, you cracked an eye open to see whether it was even possible, your left leg already half-way raised. Deeming it doable, you tried to rearrange yourself while trying not to touch anything Sibney has already worked on, ending up very weird an uncomfortable position before another crack resonated in the room.

“Oh, hi.” You heard Hermione’s voice coming from your side as you tried to look normal with one leg under you, a cramp twitching in your upper thigh. “Merry Christmas…?”

“Yes, Merry Christmas.” You looked at her, little unsteady. Her hair was already wrapped up in a wet bun, probably drenched in a straightening potion. “Ready for this?” 

“Not at all.” She muttered, looking a little flustered. “You?” 

“Meh.” You shrugged. “I think? I’m getting nervous. Where is Sibney?” 

“She said she is getting my things. I told her I would do it, but she just zapped me here… Is my hair going to be like that too?” 

You chuckled at her question.

“Maybe, I don’t know. It feels nice.” 

Another crack snapped in the classroom, making Hermione jump. Holding back a laugh, you turned your head to see Sibney arrange the girl’s things as she did yours. An airy blue dress flowed from the hanger with light ease, the long skirt reaching as far as your own. Pairing the blue with her brown hair seemed like a tasteful option, the material matching her skin splendidly. 

_ She made a good choice. _

Wondering whether the blue was to contrast with Krum’s vivid red school robes, you chatted with the girl as Sibney began to work on Hermione. The fourth-year was not used to the ways of the elf, the hair washing rendering her a stuttering mess and she kept asking questions about how Sibney’s magic worked. 

After a the third ‘I don’t know Miss, it’s in my nature’ you started to feel her discomfort, so you picked a different topic.

“So, how did your friends react to Krum taking you to the ball? Weren’t they disappointed it wasn’t one of them?” 

“Oh, _ please. _” She huffed angrily. “They didn’t want to ask me. They only realized I’m a girl last week.” 

“What.” You looked at her, not following.

“Ronald remembered I’m a girl, thus I could go with one of them, last week.” 

“Ooh… not very bright I gather.” 

“No, not at all.” 

“Isn’t he a quidditch fan though?”

“He is… ?”

“I would think he would remember you are a girl if one of the most famous quidditch players are taking his friend to the Yule Ball.”

“I never told them.” She paused after seeing your incredulous expression. “I didn’t know how.” 

“Why?” You blinked, really not understanding their relationship at this point. Those boys sounded either very rude or very clueless. 

“I don’t think… I don’t know. I don’t understand why did he ask me in the first place. It doesn’t make any sense, how am I supposed to tell my friends? They would never believe me.” 

_ I guess rude then. _

“Krum probably asked you because he wanted to. He seems like a very...direct person. Didn’t he tell you why?” 

“I don’t know. I barely remember the whole thing.” She breathed out. Sibney sympathetically blinked at her, levitating behind the girl. She was drying the fourth year’s hair out, the locks coming out shiny and smooth, only a small curl curving the ends of her strands. “Would your friends believe you? If you were in my shoes?” 

“Oh, I think some of them would just walk up to Krum’s face and ask him about his intentions. Not me. Yoongi would flat out tell me I cannot go with him.” You chuckled at the idea. “I’m not even sure I would’ve said yes to him to be fair.” 

“Really? Why?” 

“I… He doesn’t seem that fun?” 

It was her turn to laugh now, both hands around her mouth. 

“But hey…” You went on, smiling to yourself. “If you’ll have a good time tonight, none of this will matter.” 

“Yeah, I agree.” She nodded. 

It took Sibney 10 minutes to arrange the girl’s hair into a sleek bun on her nape before she went on to fix her skin quickly. Not minding how Hermione was growing shy again because of the elf’s care for her, you sighed and wondered at her personality. She was fine going with a celebrity to the ball, but she was nervous because a house-elf was helping her get there. She was angry at her friends, rightfully so, but found ways to dislodge her decisions to accommodate them. 

“My Lady, I’ll pin your hair to place too.” 

You nodded at her words, immediately feeling her fingers securing in pins and locks easily. It was starting to get dark outside, the horizon deepening into crimsons and purples. Sibney snapped her fingers behind you to conjure brightly shining orbs to illuminate the room. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

Hearing the question twice in a day, you glanced at the girl, your curiosity meeting with a bit of exhaustion. 

“Are you an animagus?” 

Sibney’s hand hesitated over your hair for the thinnest of seconds as you blinked in surprise. 

“What makes you ask that?” 

“You didn’t talk for a month, and I heard you really wanted to become one. Since you seem fine and everything, it sort of made sense you are over the process.” She looked at you as if it was the simplest fact in the world. Not really minding her directness, you mulled over whether you should tell her or not. She knew enough to know you at least tried to become one, so what would come of it if you were to tell her now? 

“Why do you want to know?” You tilted your head as you felt Sibney place the hairpiece on your head. 

“Just curious. It’s an interesting thing, animaguses.” 

“Hmm… yes. I guess we are.” You smiled at her. She nodded with a happy sigh, probably happy how she was right after all. 

“My Lady, Miss Granger, I think it is time to put on your dresses for the evening,” Sibney announced softly. “After that, I’ll apply a bit of make-up, accessorize, and then it is done.” 

Solemnly nodding at her words, you got up to change. Switching your thick black leggings to thin skin-colored stockings you quickly put on the shoes, the strap feeling a bit alien on you. It sported only a little heel, holding onto your ankle securely. Halfway there, you hesitated before pulling off the scarlet pullover, jumping to the dress immediately. 

Light sparkles scattered over the material as you inserted your arms into the right hoops, carefully pulling it down from your chest to your waist until it poured down from your hips. It felt silky with a little weight to let you know where it flowed. Taking a few steps to get a general feel, you could feel your feet move slightly in the shoes, everything still too cold and new on you. The stockings made your legs feel like they were gliding, the missing weight and warmth of your hair raising goosebumps on the nape of your neck. 

“Is it okay?” You heard Hermione ask and you had to admit to yourself how you forgot about the other two females in the room. Turning on your heel to look at her, you found the girl in the pale blue dress, arms crossed over her chest defensively, eyes cast down. Sibney looked at you for a moment, glance shining as she smiled at you proudly before turning hesitantly to the girl. She was used to a more… confident reaction to her creations. 

“Hermione…” You began, making your way to her. “It is more than okay. You look beautiful.” 

“Ah, you’re nice for saying that, but I really don’t… “ Her hand almost brushed into her hair before she stopped herself, making Sibney squeak in fear. “Do I have to go?” 

“I think you need to take a deep breath, okay?” She nodded, eyes still looking at everything but you two. “Would you like to see yourself?” 

“No.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Sibney, could you please…” The elf snapped her fingers before you could finish the sentence, conjuring a high mirror right in front of the girl so her eyes couldn’t avoid the looking glass. 

Holding back a smile, you went to stand beside her. She was staring at everything an nothing at the same time, her eyes wandering from the dress to her hair to her skin. Recalling how Sibney applied the same thing on her she used on you, you smiled as the girl mused at her arm as if she is seeing it for the first time. It looked completely normal at first glance, but the more you stared at it, the more ethereal it looked. Completely smooth and healthy with a dash of faint glitter occasionally drawing the attention to it before it was gone. 

“What is going on?” She whispered. “How is this me?” 

“It is you. Nothing really changed, just your hair is straight.” You shrugged. 

“But no. My arm…”

“That is just a little pixie dust from the north mixed in with a hydrating potion made of mandrakes. It just makes you feel alive, doesn’t it?” 

“It looks… unreal.” 

“Welcome to the world of magic I guess?” 

She scoffed at you, blinking up at you with huge irises.

“You don’t even have make-up on yet, don’t bat your lashes at me like that.” You giggled, making the girl flush pink in embarrassment. “What about me, do I pass for my first ball?” 

“Very finely, My Lady.” Sibney slapped her hands together, grinning from ear to ear. “I wish your mother would be here to see it.” You smiled at the elf, happily accepting her praise. 

“This is your first ball?” Hermione was not done looking up at you hazily. 

“Yeah, I never got invited to one before. It’s always just Mom and Dad.” You tilted your head at yourself in the mirror. Your [hair](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/77/02/a2/7702a2de9366459576f4f06a87f8883e.jpg) was much better than you would’ve imagined it, the hairpiece pulling together with your [dress](https://fashionclubnj.com/product/prom-dress-silver-cr822/). You could’ve argued you were too pale for the light colors, but at the same time, you were content with everything. Except…

“Where do you think I should put my wand?” You wondered out loud. “I would’ve put it on my back under my hair, but alas…” You turned, looking for possible placements. 

“Why would you need your wand?” 

“Because I’m a witch?” You offered the girl a funny side-eye. “And I’m going with a Slytherin so I _ might _ have to look out for myself.” 

“No one would _ dare… _” Sibney started to thunder up.

“Who are you _ going with? _” 

“Wow, mixed reactions.” You chuckled. “Sibney, it’s fine. A little excitement. And Jimin.” You looked at Hermione to gauge her reaction. She blinked in surprise before going on. 

“I forget you have friends in every house. It makes sense, it’s just... “

“If you say weird, I swear I’ll laugh while I hound you.” You threatened with a light tone, leaving her by the mirror to get your jewelry. “Sibney, come here for a second.” 

The elf levitated in the air toward you, her face still twisted in irritation, but your comment forbade her to say more. Nodding at her expression you opened up the box. 

“Sibney, I would like to ask you to place protection charms on these. Make it so that my partner is defended as well. If possible, please add a hex so I would know who was the one who tried to attack me. Are these requests possible?” 

“Yes, My Lady. Thank you.” She nodded, her face calming as she began to move her hands above the crimson stones. “They are possible. What would you like the hex to be?” 

“I’ll leave the choice to you, have fun with it.” 

“Thank you, much appreciated.”

You left her to it, sighing a little as you picked up the straps from the window sill. 

_ Where should these go… _

Mulling over it, you looked up to see Hermione occupied with her own things, folding everything she had with her neatly together. Finding the idea a rather good one, you began to pack up as well, collecting everything you had brought into the room to the nearest table to your chair.

“Sibney, are you helping Kook too?” You asked the elf as you finished, your shoe resting right beside your clothes as you sat up on the table to fix the straps on your thigh. Not a very practical placement, but better than going without your wand. 

“I am, yes My Lady.” You heard her from the window, still working. 

“Hermione, would you mind if he shows up before getting our make-up done?”

“W-what? Who is coming here?” She looked up, faint confusion on her features. 

“Kookie. You know, my brother, your classmate.” You must have looked weird with a leg pulled up as you fiddled with the straps to make it more comfortable because the girl stared at you funnily before she nodded. 

“Sibney, could you please ask him to come? A simple note is enough, don’t zap him here.” 

The elf snapped her fingers before going behind you to place the necklace on your neck gently. The color changed slightly, the light not passively passing through the stones anymore. A raging wind seemed to be moving constantly inside each gem, ever-moving, looking very much alive. Soon the claps were secured and the earrings dangled from your ear, small weights tickling for your attention as you moved. 

“Now, for the make-up…” She trailed off, politely asking you to sit back to your chair wordlessly. Another snap later she had a few tools close to her grasp and she began to work, feather-like touches reaching your skin. 

You didn’t really know make-up that much. You saw your mother apply some, sometimes. She usually just went with her feelings and if she woke up with an inkling, she entertained it. There was no scale to follow, no rules to abide. Naturally not drawn to it, there was no real reason for you to get into the art and this was maybe the second or third time you ever had on products like the ones Sibney was using. You knew it wasn’t going to be much, and you weren’t expecting anything life-changing at all.

Nevertheless, you were almost as speechless when Hermione saw herself for the first time. It was you who looked back in the mirror, but lightly different. The elf has drawn you cat eyes, faint greys and almost blacks making your eyes much more blue than they were on their own. Your lips looked a little bigger, a little fuller, darker pink than their natural colors, reaching more into red than rose. 

“Mistress instructed to achieve a “frosty lioness” look, as her exact wording.” Sibney suppressed a satisfied smile, enjoying how her work caught you off guard. Gaping at her victorious expression, she dismissed the trapped gratitude you choked on, shooting off towards the fourth year. Humor was playing in her tone as she asked the girl what feel or phrase would describe what she wanted, and you almost laughed when the reply was “natural”. 

A soft knock came from the door and you hesitantly made your way to open it. Still feeling a little dumbstruck, your hand paused on the handle.

“Who is it?” 

“Noona?” 

“Come in, Kook.” You muttered, stepping away from the way. 

“I didn’t know how to come, so I just picked up my clothes to change here, and I’m done with my hair, but… Hermione?” The boy stopped in his tracks, his eyes mostly trained on his things before he looked up to see his house-elf applying make-up on his classmate. 

“Right, I forgot to tell you. We’re helping her get ready for… the ball.” You almost slipped her partner’s name before you stopped yourself. It wasn’t your place to say. 

“Oh. Okay. You look pretty.” He nodded hastily at the girl unable to speak as Sibney’s brush painted her lips. The boy finally turned to look at you, his expression still a little taken aback before it morphed again. “Oh wow.”

“I’m guessing that’s a compliment.” You teased, suddenly a little flustered. His face was completely empty and it made you nervous how his eyes didn’t meet yours. 

“It…” He began, raising his hand to ask for yours, slowly turning you around. “... most definitely is. Noona, you look insane.” 

“Not to be picky over words, but insane is not really a…” 

“No, no, you don’t understand.” He huffed, almost pained. “You look… really good. Like… the best version of yourself. I’m not sure how to say it, really… you should go to balls more often.” 

“Okay.” You laughed at his face, feeling a little relieved. “Okay, thank you. I suddenly thought something is wrong.” 

“My Lady, of course, nothing is wrong!” Sibney commented as she made Hermione turn her face from one angle to the next. “Young Lord, would you please change into your dress robes?” 

The elf snapped her fingers once more and a sturdy looking folding screen appeared by the farthest corner from Hermione. The boy nodded, making his way behind it with sure steps, only the ruffling noises betraying his presence. After a few minutes have gone by, he reappeared and you were unable to keep a smile curling onto lips. 

“How is it?” Kook asked, reaching the mirror and checking his reflection from several angles. 

“You do not look like a fourth-year.” You admitted honestly. 

He really looked nothing like a teenager and it was sort of astonishing how easily he changed. The colors of his outfit mostly consisted of soft and crisp clashing in the best possible way. A matching pair of dress pants and snugly fitted vest outlined his form in deep graphite over a pearly white button-down, leaving a patch of skin right under his neck. A thin burgundy colored belt complimented his leather shoes of the same shade with a long robe holding his shoulders and waist firmly playing in pitch black. Hair parted and flipped up in a ruffled [curl](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c8/82/b8/c882b835489299dadfd0b0540669f57e.jpg) just enough to reach into his eye a bit. 

“You are going to make someone faint… or at least dreamily sigh.” 

“We are not that good with compliments, are we?” He smiled at you through the mirror, fiddling with something that you thought was a bowtie. “I don’t think anyone would _ sigh _ at the sight of… this.” He motioned at his firm in the mirror. 

“I’ll bet a butterbeer at least one person will before the dance begins.” 

“You’re on.” 

You could hear Sibney and Hermione talk in the back as they check the results before the elf shot through the air towards Kookie, surprising the boy before she got him in the chair Hermione was sitting in moments before. 

“I’m going to go, get my things back to the Tower before… the ball.” The fourth-year collected herself, arms wrapped above her chest defensively. She looked very feminine and polished for her age, and you had to admit Krum was a lucky guy to have her. Even as she fidgeted under your gaze, she looked like a strong person with the right headset. “Your brother looks very nice. Very… clean for a Gryffindor.” 

You laughed at the word she has chosen to describe the boy not too far away from you. The lone ear you could see from this angle started to redden, and you guessed he was very much aware he was the topic of your conversation. 

_ Clean, huh? _

“Clean enough to leave a champion hanging?” You mused out loud, and for once, the girl beside you offered a laugh instead of a frown. 

“Clean enough. But I’m keeping my promises.” She offered you a smile after a long sigh before she got her things into her hands. “Thank you for everything. Truly. You didn’t have to help me, but…” 

“I wanted to. I’m not sure what is happening in your situation…” You motioned towards her, little fazed. “...But I hope you’ll have a nice night. Give your friends a reminder of how much of a girl you are.” 

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly thought otherwise. Nodding towards you and offering thanks again, she swiftly left, her blue dress floating a bit behind her before she quietly closed the door after her. 

\------------------------------

“You have everything?” 

“Yeah, I think so.” 

“Where is your wand?” 

“Do you really want to know?” 

“I guess not. Where are you meeting Jimin?” 

“I… don’t know? We didn’t exactly talk about it.” 

Hurrying down in a rush, you tried very hard not to trip in the heels you were wearing. Kookie was holding onto your arm much more gently than what you were used to of him as he tried to make you move faster, rounding to another series of stairs to descend on. 

“Why were you guys in a room on the fourth floor, seriously. Do you think it started already?” 

“Why, did you hear the bells toll already?” 

“No, maybe not?” 

Reaching the last staircase, you had to stop running. Your side was cramping and you were sure your head was red as a tomato. Kook looked exceptional even after flying down three flights of stairs, only a small pant indicating him being out of air. Every corridor so far has been dark, only a few torches lighting the walls with flickering lights, but below the last floor you have to conquer warm illumination crept up. Noises of people talking, excitement coloring their tones found their way into your ear and suddenly you were much aware how probably most of the student body of all three schools were down there, waiting for the doors to open. 

“Do you think anyone else is as late as we are?” Kook muttered.

“No idea. I don’t even know how did we get so late. Sibney finished with you faster than me or Hermione.” 

“Yeah, well, you are girls after all. More...stuff with you lot.” 

You just huffed at that, not really wanting to get into it. Feeling your hands grow cold, you tried to roll your shoulders back, taking bigger breaths to slow down your beating heart. 

“Do I still look okay?” You asked him quietly, fussing a little with your dress. 

“You look wonderful. Just fix your necklace and you’ll be fine.” 

“Are you nervous too, or is it just me?” Hands flying to your throat, you tried to position the stones in the middle, the torrent pacing inside them warm against your fingertips. 

“A little. I’ll help you down, okay? Just pick up your skirt a bit so you won’t step on it. Oh… you are wearing the bracelet too?” He smiled at the thin strap of silver on your wrist as you lay your arm on his, the support comforting.

“Yeah, I thought why not. It fits with everything and it just feels… right. I think.” You murmured, your free hand grabbing the silvery material of your skirt to hold away from your heels. You didn’t notice how the boy beside you grinned under his breath before he straightened his back. 

“Ready?” He checked your expression and took the turn after you nodded, guiding you to the first step to the last staircase. Breathing in slowly, you followed his lead, not rushing anymore. Kook curled his free arm behind his back, looking much more mature than he was a few hours ago laying around under the Christmas trees, his features arranged into a polite smile as his eyes scanned the crowd below you. 

You didn’t find it in you to look up, concentration locked onto the stairs. The lights slowly climbed over your silhouette as you reached closer to the main floor, the voices coming in louder until you were only half a dozen steps away and you finally looked up to see who was closest to you. Eyes scanning from the nearest set of heads to the ones standing farther away, you met a few glances. Angelina winked at you from beside a fiery redhead, who you recognized as Fred in a black and white set of dress robes. Noticing Professor McGonagall in a rich red tartan robe, she was ushering the champions away from the crowd, your eyes connecting with Cho for a second and both of you broke into a grin. She looked lovely in a satin dress with long sleeves, and you were surprised to see her standing firmly beside Cedric, the boy protectively standing behind her as McGonagall was explaining something to them. 

“Noona, did you see Jimin?” Kook whispered under his breath, guiding you into the crowd. 

“No, I hardly recognize anyone. Look at all these dresses and robes…” 

Crimson flashed as an indication for the Durmstrang students, their posture perfect and expressions much lighter than you had seen them before, a boy offering you and Kook a small bow of his head as you passed a group. The Beauxbatons students kept close to their original colors as well, pieces ranging from powdery blues to pearly whites, soft flowery shades appearing occasionally among them. The Hogwarts students, on the other hand, were a mob of colors, mostly the girls choosing from a selection of shades the other two schools refrained from. The girl on Potter’s arm wore bright pink, while you saw Cho’s friend, Marietta in a thick earthy green, probably to complement her red locks now pinned to her head. 

“I should’ve colored my hair,” Kook muttered idly as he searched around, his gaze whipping from left to right. 

“What color did you want?” You asked, feeling less stressed among the other students. 

“Oh, I was thinking of something shocking.” Kook grinned. “Cherry red or something like that. Leave a mark.” 

“I can still change it for you if you want.” You heard a very familiar voice from your left. “Maybe after the first dance?” 

“Jimin!” You gasped before breaking into a wide grin. 

Your now [blond](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/73/5c/6d735c14f3d676cbd9349cc02527a99b.jpg) partner hummed appreciatively as he hugged you, his chuckle tickling your ear before he made you turn, your dress floating a little as you did. 

“Don’t look, but…” 

“What, half of the female Slytherin population is behind us again?” 

The boy laughed and you finally had a chance to take a better look at him. Hair perfectly styled and looking impossibly soft, you almost ran your hand through it. Dress robes completely black and fitted against his form, the only decoration on him was a silver chain hanging in a loop from the pocket of his vest, the material tightly hugging his thin waist. You noticed a pair of silver rings adorning his fingers as he took your hand from Kook and led you back to where he was standing, your brother flanking after you in the crowd. 

“No, actually you were very close to Ellie and Tae and I just wanted to avoid that situation as long as possible. You look lovely by the way; this dress is wonderful on you.” He offered you an open-mouthed smile before turning back to face the sea of people. “I don’t think there is anyone here who could disagree. That was quite an entrance.” 

“Thank you.” You squeezed his hand. “You look outstanding, even for you. And the hair? Stealing people’s breath away?” 

“You like it?” He grinned back at you before stopping, pulling you into a circle. “I guessed this shade would match everything.” 

“Phew, you two took your time.” Jin huffed, only a few steps away from you, gaining an elbow into his side by a chuckling Joon. 

“They tidy up nicely though, look at them!” Hobi grinned, Maggie resting her arm on his. The girl was in a light pink dress with lots of layers on her skirt, a small tiara glittering in her hair. She offered you a small smile which you returned a bit timidly. 

The boys were all in black and white dress robes to an extent you began to wonder whether they helped each other choosing outfits. Jimin happily chattered beside you as you glanced around, a little breathless after what he has said. You forgot about Taehyung and all the little things he did for a second there before the reality of it all crashed into you. Of course, he was with her. Of course, nothing has changed. Of course, it didn’t mean anything. 

Standing there between your partner for the evening and your kid brother, you had to admit to yourself how a part of you, a small, tiny, relentless part of you thought something is changing. You could’ve sworn it was in the air, the shifting you have kept your hope alive for. You never admitted it to anyone, not even yourself how it was in the corner of the back of your mind, barely there, lingering and tugging at your heart. There was no more room to run from it as it bared itself in your mind, making you understand what it was. 

“...oh, I think we’ll be alright out there, right Y/n?” 

“H-huh?” You blinked, looking at Jimin. 

“Are you okay?” The cheerful tone he was using was gone, morphing into heavy concern as he looked at you closely. “What happened?” 

“Nothing, I was just thinking.” You waved a hand, forcing on a smile. “We will be alright with what now?” 

“The dance,” Maggie answered, her tone softer than what you were used to from her. “I was just saying how it must be difficult for people to agree to go with someone to a ball, and just wing it without practice.” 

“That makes sense.” You nodded. “I’ve never danced with any of these goofs, but I have a fair idea who would step on my dress.” 

“What do you mean you’ve never danced with us? That time in the practice room meant nothing to you?” You heard Yoongi bark behind you, painting your cheeks pink with the comment. He was in a pitch-black outfit much like Jimin, but his upper robe was deep bottle green with matching cufflinks catching attention, [hair](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/0d/2e/c00d2e2610f312debc78baab39030861.jpg) in ruffled loose locks. 

“And that is how you start rumors Yoongs.” Jimin shook his head. “At least mention how she held up against you in a duel, which you happen to call a dance.” 

“Ooh, so little Y/nie could keep up with a sixth-year?” Jin clapped his hands together. “I wonder who would win in a duel.” 

“He obviously held back Jinnie.” You feigned a pout in the older Gryffindor’s direction. 

“Actually, I think it would make sense to see who is better,” Yoongi noted, face serious. “She is much more subtle than you are Seokjin.” 

“Yeah, well, it is an advantage not to yell the entire time,” Joon muttered, earning a dissatisfied wail from his friend. “See what I mean?” 

“I’m guessing you washed your teeth?” You muttered to the older Slytherin with a low grin, now standing where Jimin was before he drifted to Hobi to talk more about dancing. 

“Yes, I even had Jimin help with the rest. This thing is not as uncomfortable as I imagined.” 

“And where is your partner? Did I miss something?” You glanced around, not seeing the sixth-year girl around. 

“She is still… coordinating a bit. I didn’t expect you in silver Y/n.” He looked at you with a small curl in his lip. “Is this a taunt?”

“For whom?” You ruffled your brows. 

“Ah, guess not. I thought you are egging on a few people. Is your necklace charmed?” 

“Kind of. Elf magic.”

“Mmm, nice.” 

With a long swing, the door to the Great Hall opened, drawing in all the attention and leaving conversations to drop into the abyss. The golden pair revealed a fully rearranged hall with several tables fit for a dozen people each, replacing the usual four house tables. Icy decoration sparkled under cool lights as mistletoe and ivy brought a bit of green into the otherwise glittering interior. The crowd paused for a second, gasps and surprised noises coming from all directions before the teachers motioned to go inside. You felt Jimin hook his arm into yours, pulling closer to avoid getting trampled on. People around you drew closer and closer as the pair of you passed through the door, the heat radiating off their bodies suffocating you for a long minute before it thinned out again. The boy beside you pulled you gently to one of the tables right by the glistening walls, warm lighted lanterns illuminating the golden plates and utensils. You suppressed a chuckle when Jimin pulled out a chair for you, accepting it as graciously as you could before he sat down right beside you. 

“Hey, are you really okay?” He muttered under his breath as he picked up the freshly pressed table cloth, unwrapped it in a smooth flick of his wrist, and placed it in his lap. “You looked so… heartbroken.” 

“Mmm…” You hummed, calling over Kook through the crowd with a wave. “I’ll be fine.” 

“I could kick his ass if you want me to.” The way he said it made you pause, turning towards the Slytherin with mixed feelings. “It wasn’t a hard guess Y/n.” 

“What wasn’t?” You kept your face straight, voice even. 

“Did he do something since we talked? I saw you a few hours ago and you were fine.” 

“Yes, well. Nothing happened. I’m just… disappointed.” You shrugged, trying to look a bit more nonchalant. “But we shouldn’t be talking about things like this. This is a ball, we look nice and there won’t be anything like this ever again. So just…” 

“Enjoy it. Alright.” He nodded, staring into the room before he turned to look at you again. “Would it make you feel better to know how she absolutely paled when you passed them? I swear, she was gaping like a fish out of water.” 

“Did she know?” You wondered, fixing a skew spoon on the table lightly. “Go on.” 

Jimin grinned, giving you a play-by-play from his perspective. He had you chuckling in a few minutes, washing the sadness out of your mind thoroughly. In a way, you were sure he was exaggerating about Ellie, but you let yourself enjoy the bits about Taehyung’s reaction, even if they only contained specs of truth in them. 

Kook sat down beside you a few minutes later with a satisfied grin on his face, but said nothing when you asked what had happened. Jin and Joon were sitting two tables away from you with Hobi and a group of Hufflepuffs while Yoongi decided to sit with you, Alina closely following in suit behind him. The girl had you admiring her dress from far away, a tighter vivid green silk moving on her effortlessly with black lace covering her shoulders like spiderwebs. It looked absolutely stunning and you told her the second she sat down, unable to contain your amazement. She tilted her head in thanks, her straight black hair flowing over her shoulders like water. 

“Well, would you look at that,” Yoongi commented, his eyes trained on Jin’s table. 

Most people have already sat down in the hall, only a few scattered and talking without a seat. The teachers were going rounds to sit everyone down, and Yoongi happened to draw everyone’s attention to the Headmaster himself ordering Ellie to sit down right beside Maggie, forcing Taehyung to take the last open spot between his girlfriend and Seokjin. Everyone seemed stiff as a stone at that table, and you couldn’t find it in you not to glance there every few often. 

“This is what it’s like to watch an accident before it happens,” Jimin whispered, making both you and Kook nod firmly. 

From your angle, you could see Jin’s lips move and the table seemed to carry on effortlessly. A pang of insecurity spread in you when you watched Ellie pick up the pace and insert her thoughts in, some Hufflepuffs going into a conversation with her. Having a full view over most of Jin’s left profile, Taehyung, Ellie, Maggie, and Hobi with a bit of Joon’s right side, your mind raced before you snapped out of it. You just agreed with Jimin not to focus on them, and here you were again, stealing glances. 

“I honestly thought you were going to get rid of her by now,” Alina noted, her voice airy before she took a sip of her drink. “Pork chops!” The requested food appeared on her plate and she gracefully picked up her fork and knife, gliding it effortlessly. “You could probably mop the floor with her, but yet you do nothing. Why is that?” 

“Schnitzel!” You glanced at your plate, starting on your own food when it appeared with some warm potato salad. “To be honest…” You started off slowly. “... I always thought of taking the high road. She is vile, and she put tremendous effort into her image, so I don’t see a reason why.” 

“Because she clearly gets to you.” The girl beside you noted, head tilted as she pointed her fork in your direction. The boys around you listened on peacefully, not interfering. Maybe they wanted to know the same things, and you didn’t mind. You felt Kook pay attention with the way he held himself and made the least amount of noise with his knife. 

“Is it too much to say I want to see her crash and burn without any of us doing anything?” You asked, meeting the sixth year’s eyes finally. “Life has a way of screwing with people, why not just let it run its course and enjoy it from afar?” 

“This is the very last thing a Gryffindor would say,” Yoongi commented, his gaze flickering to you before he took another bite of his food. 

“That may be so, but I’m not just a Gryffindor.” You shrugged. “I was supposed to be anything, but a Gryffindor so cut me some slack.” 

“Why is that?” Kook asked, surprising both you and the boys. 

“Our family is full of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Every value they hold dear, I grew up with. And you too.” Your hand began to reach out to ruffle his hair before he dodged it with a bark resembling a trapped laugh. “Before coming to Hogwarts, Uncle Horace was 100% sure I’ll be a Slytherin, which made zero sense to everyone else, but he was so adamant about it. He reasoned my behavior as a child was just telling. Even though I’m neither ambitious nor cunning.” 

“Huh…” Alina exhaled. “I think my parents would have disowned me on the spot if I weren’t sorted into Slytherin. But I don’t feel mixed or leaning towards any of the other houses either way so...” 

“I knew I’ll be here.” Yoongi placed a hand under his jaw in support, elbowing into the table. “Like a glove. Not like this one right here.” He tickled Jimin lightly, earning small giggles from the younger man. 

“Yeah, well, it is what it is,” Jimin said after Yoongi let his ribs alone. “I’m still discovering parts of me that indicate my house, and I’m fine with that.”

“You are not a classic Slytherin, that is for sure.” Alina mulled out loud, her gaze resting a far distance behind you. “But it’s undeniably there. With all the fuss the girls raised in the common room, you would think you are some sort of precious prize.” 

“That is exactly what he is!” You grinned, making the boy shove a hand at your shoulder with soft giggles. 

The conversation went on, reaching topics of graduation and life after Hogwarts easily. In the back of your mind, you were surprised how Yoongi’s partner fit into the sometimes chaotic flow of snarky remarks and endless giggles, not batting an eyelash when things would get out of hand. With a simple flick of her wand, she would deflect a piece of roasted potato meant for Jimin who has been teasing Kook about how girls were unable to keep their eyes from him. She didn’t give you a deadpanned look when Jimin fell out of his chair laughing nor when she caught you steal a glance again at the table too near to you. You were downright surprised when she didn’t ask what were you talking about when Jimin directly asked Kookie about his form.

“You have to show us tonight, I don’t care when.” Jimin went on, focus zeroed in on Kookie’s expression, who has been grinning at him, open-mouthed and overconfident. 

Dessert was almost completely gone and you quietly sipped on your flute, rolling the elderberry drink around your tongue. The necklace warm on your skin, the weight comforting you as you let your eyes roam on the decoration around the hall. It wasn’t an everyday sight, and with the people inside completing the picture, you just wanted to soak it all up, etching the details into your memory. 

_ Your first ball. _

The dishes vanished from the tables, and following your Headmaster’s cue, you stood from your seat as he flicked his wand. The furniture taking up space in the middle appeared by the walls, leaving a blank spot in the middle of the hall. The make-shift dance floor attracted students and adults alike, a circular space inviting people to dance. 

Jimin took your hand and pulled you closer to the crowd. Wiggling his way to the front, he smiled as the champions walked to the middle of the floor, each with their respective partners, and music started to play. The four pairs started to dance, some more gracefully than others, and you had to admit how Maggie was right about going into a ball with someone you don’t know. All of the champions managed to pull it off, and you were sort of glad nobody got hurt, but Merlin was it a close call. Potter was going after the girl in pink like a lost puppy, meeting his cues a few seconds late while Cedric and Cho were very stiff. Probably not enjoying the attention, they were trying to focus on each other, resulting in rigid necks and very pink cheeks. Fleur glided beautifully, everything about her as exquisite as a Beauxbatons champion should be, while Roger Davies expression told tales about how absolutely lucky he thought himself to be. Which is kind of true. But none of them seemed to have as much fun as the last pair flashing in powder blue and vivid crimson. 

Krum and Hermione didn’t tense up or try hard as the others, going with the flow as they could with Krum leading his partner with a confident frame. You wondered whether have you ever seen the Bulgarian Seeker this happy, a low grin on his face and kind eyes fixed on Hermione. The girl did seem a little flustered, but she looked utterly beautiful with some pink dusting her features, open-mouthedly laughing when they made a small mistake. Her hair shined under the sparkling lights and her smile made you curl your lips automatically, sharing her joy. 

She met your gaze for a minute as they drew closer to you in a bigger turn, the hand on Krum’s shoulder lifting up in invitation as a few teachers already mingled in with the champions with more practiced moves. 

Jimin saw the exchange, shrugging a bit when you looked at him in question. Taking a wide step away from the crowd, he bowed a little, overplaying his part to make you giggle. Pinching into your skirt, you returned the gesture with a deep curtsy, holding back your laugh when you looked back at him. Taking your right hand, he made you turn slowly, pulling you into a waltz stance with his other hand on your waist, his index finger counting the beat lightly. 

“Ready?” He whispered, eyes flickering to you when you just nodded, moving his right leg forward while you moved your left backward, slipping into the rhythm. 

It went much better than you expected, leaving no time for you to tense up or fear for a mistake. Jimin lead with enough confidence for you to trust him, occasionally humming with the music. Every once in a while he let you go a bit further to make a turn and you were on the verge of panicking a bit before he pulled back, the humming easing up your flexed shoulders. You were aware of the eyes on your back, following your movements but you rather chalked it up for people watching others dance, nothing particular about it. Believing in the protection charms in your necklace, you exhaled slowly, letting Jimin spin both of you in quick turns. 

“Dizzy?” He asked, exiting the spins. 

“A bit nervous.” You whispered back. “I’m overthinking it I guess.” 

“A lot of things are going on.” He nodded, staring into the crowd. “So it’s okay.” 

“What about you?” 

“Ah, I like this.” He grinned under his breath. “My friends are happy, for the most part. I’m not anxious anymore. Nothing bad happened, and we are here, just waltzing as if we do this every day. And none of them can do anything about it.” 

“Them? The girls?” 

“Yeah.”

“Why were you anxious?” You looked at him, trying to monitor his expression. 

“I don’t know. I just wanted to have a good time and wanted to be prepared. I’m not sure what was it exactly, but I wanted to do my best. I think I practiced enough to be able to do this in my sleep.” 

“Funny, I was relaxed.” You murmured, turning back towards his back. “You have no idea how many times girls asked me about the ball and you, but I only got jittery when Hobi asked me this morning. Getting ready was okay, but coming down here… Merlin, I got nervous.” 

“Why?” There was a laugh in his tone, tickling your hair closer to your neck. 

“Walking down those stairs was scary, okay?” You huffed at him. “Kook somehow made us late, and everyone was down here and we were the only people up there and you just _ know _ everyone will stare at you. I second-guessed everything, my hair, my things, my dress…” 

“Not the dress!” He gasped, feigning shock, making you flick a finger at his neck. “No, really. I’m defending this dress until my dying day. A Gryffindor in a silver dress with a Slytherin as her partner. And you guys were alright. I swear Seokjin brushed a tear away because he was so proud of Jungkookie. He looks like a man now.” 

“I know, it’s crazy. The minute he put on those clothes… I wasn’t sure what to tell him.” You sighed, searching for the boy in the crowd. “We actually made a bet about him making at least one girl sigh before the first dance.” 

“And?” 

“He didn’t even leave the room before making Hermione sigh. He didn’t even try.” You shook your head. 

“Not surprising. About her though… that is an interesting pair.” 

“Who, Krum and her?” 

“Yeah… But I have to admit they look good. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so…” 

“Mmm, it makes sense, right?” You craned your neck a bit to have a look at the duo just exiting the crowd. 

“Back to the nervousness…” The boy began, a little hesitant. 

“What about it?” 

“It was the opposite for me. Leading up to tonight, I was nervous someone would attack you or whether you would find this weird. I knew I’m not going to ask a random girl and I really wanted to stay away from the whole romance thing everyone else got sucked into. It got so cringey and desperate, I was so glad I don’t have to deal with… all that. But I didn’t ask you what you thought or what you wanted, and after a while, I was scared to ask. I got in my head I think.” The opening song faded in the back for a new one to spring up, much more gentle than the ceremonious opening. “It’s a bit selfish of me, but once you two got to the Hall, I was so relieved. I guess it dawned on me how I was jumbled into my own mind because you would…” 

“...get it, yeah.” You nodded. “But you could’ve asked me, you know. I would’ve flat out told you you are being stupid.” 

You felt him pull up his shoulders in a shrug, just noises coming from him instead of coherent words. 

“I’m glad you called dibs.” You went on after he pulled you back from three quick turns on your heel. “I knew I can trust you to be you.” It was your turn to shrug and you could see him smile from the corner of your eye. “To be honest, I don’t think I would’ve wanted it any other way, so no need to feel selfish. You are protecting me just as much as I’m keeping you from that mess.” 

“Hmm, I never thought of that.” He let his head rest on yours for a second before he moved backward with the other dancers, pulling you back gently. “So what do you think, are others completely misinterpreting this?” 

“What, us?” 

“Yup.”

“Obviously.” You imitated your Potions master’s voice a little clumsily, coaxing a higher-pitched giggle from the Slytherin. “But what does it matter, they talk about a lot of things.”

“Speaking of a lot of things, who do you think will win this tournament?” 

“Mmm… “ He helped you by turning around the room slowly, giving you a view of the champions. “I guess I would say Krum.” 

“Yeah, he looks capable. Not very loyal of us, eh?” He noted. 

“You asked for my opinion, not my wishes.” You offered him a lopsided grin. 

“Who do you want to win then?” He tilted his head in admission. 

“I think it would be brilliant if Potter won. He would deserve it after all the mess he has been pulled through since the Goblet spat out his name. Not mentioning how everyone else would look utterly ridiculous. Our little fourth-year Gryffindor.” 

“You just had to emphasize he is in your house.” He huffed into your head, earning a whine for his attack. 

“Well, since there is no Slytherin champion…” 

“Alright, alright. No need to brag you brat.” 

“Sore loser.” 

He stuck out his tongue in your direction and you had to swallow back a shriek, sliding down your arm from his to tickle him. 

The two of you stayed on the dancefloor for a while, only leaving to get something to drink. Feeling a bit proud of how everything turned out, you held onto your glass as you mingled with the visitors. There were plenty of people coming from the Ministry, a few you knew because of your parents, and a dozen or so more adults who you guessed were invited to be polite. Uncle Horace flung his arm around the both of you out of the blue at one point, scaring the living hell out of you before he very directly asked you to introduce Jimin to him. 

The ex-Head of House was delighted with the Slytherin, making the boy list off his achievements like a poem, easily brushing away your attempts to escape. 

“Oh dear, you two really make a pair.” The old professor chuckled merrily. “I have to admit, I was a bit stirred when I didn’t recognize my goddaughter's partner’s name, but I was fretting over nothing.” Clapping on Jimin’s back, he made the boy almost stumble a step forward, but you held him in place with an arm locked through his. “I’m sure Severus is proud of you my boy.” 

“Ah…” Jimin shot you a look, asking for help.

“Professor Snape adores him, of course, he does. You know how he is. Slytherin pride all the way.” You smiled before taking a sip to pluck yourself a moment to think. 

“Speaking of which, where is that fella, he must’ve come…” 

Alarmed by the way the older man started to look around, you tried to make an escape before the two Potions master’s made eye contact, your uncle collecting your professor into your group easier than you could blink. 

“Professor Slughorn, what do I…” The greasy-haired man began as his cold eyes slid from Jimin to you, going around the people standing around him. 

“No need to fuss with titles, Severus, I haven’t been teaching for a long time.” The older man chuckled, ignoring the look his pupil offered you. “I was just telling this lovely pair how proud you must be of them. Exceptional, both of them.” 

“Ah, I see. Yes, Mr. Park is showing promise in my class. I would dare say he has been helping out Miss Fawley every chance he gets.” 

Out of all the things he could’ve said, you were almost glad this was the one that was uttered. Ready to pounce and leave the rapidly uncomfortable conversation, you pulled on a practiced smile and breathed in to voice an excuse to leave when the older man replied. 

“Oh, Severus, you must be honing your joking skills! With what I know, this young lady has been practicing her potion-making very diligently.” 

“Quantity does not reach quality, as we all know.” 

Jimin tightened his arm closer to his body in irritation, indirectly pulling you closer. Not really sure how could you flee before all hell breaks loose, you just watched the two men go on like a tennis match. 

“I see you still have no sense of recognizing talent when you see one, Severus. Nourishing and growing students to reach their best version is an art in itself.” 

“Horace, what a wonderful surprise to have you here!” A voice boomed behind the Potions master’s back, a tall body with a long pearly white beard making its way between them with surprising speed. “Meeting old friends and making new connections I see?” 

A pair of brilliant blue eyes glanced at you behind half-moon spectacles, a glint of mischief playing in them.

“Albus, splendid, splendid. I was just going over the core points of teaching with Severus. There seems to be a difference in our ways.” He older man huffed with a tingle of red in his cheeks. 

“Brilliant topic! Care to carry on by the punch, I dare say I’m a little intrigued… you two go and have fun! Avoid Professor Moody’s wooden leg if you accept a bit of advice!” The Headmaster offered you and Jimin a wink before hauling the stiff pair of adults away. 

“That was…” Jimin began, hurrying away from the cursed spot you were stuck in for too long. “... something I do not want to experience again.” 

“Is it crazy to think they were ready to whip out wands and everything?” You muttered, picking up a new glass from a deserted table. 

“No, I swear Snape’s hand was on his wand. I didn’t know they knew each other, let alone…” 

“I think he was his teacher. Dear Lord, that was a mess.” 

“Give me a sip and let's go back to dancing. That, at least, was fun.” 

You nodded, offering him the flute without a second thought. 

\------------------------------------------

The night practically flew by, tiring out your legs and mind. After sticking to Jimin for most of the dancing, Hobi took your hand when your partner excused himself to the bathroom. Hobi was just as good of a dancer as Jimin, but with a different flair in his steps. Much more spring in his moves, less tender and gentle as Jimin was you had to keep up with him, soon tiring out after your third song. 

You found Kook soon after and hung out with his fourth-year friends. They seemed to be a little timid by your appearance, which only escalated when Jin joined too. It made you laugh inwardly how some girls were unable to hold themselves back, staring at the pair of lions with open expressions and slightly parted lips. 

Making up an excuse to let Jin teach a thing or two to your brother, you looked for the rest of your friends. Not really seeing any of them around you, you decided to make your way out of the hall. Kook told you about the magical grotto outside and you wanted to see the fairies on the rosebushes yourself. Turning away from the warm light and overflowing sounds of ongoing conversations, you reached the open doors of the castle. There were some people outside, pairs walking far away from each other, talking in hushed voices. The yard was filled with tall bushes in full bloom, the scent of sweet roses tickling your nose. Small yellowish lights were scattered everywhere, ever-moving and you guessed those must be the fairies Kook told you about. Not really minding being alone, you slowly strolled off the few stairs between you and the yard, your skirt swishing languidly. 

You didn’t feel the cold air on you, and you wondered whether Sibney placed other charms on your necklace than just protective ones. The gentle warmth of the stones was more evident on your skin, a tiny glow coloring your chest. You drew closer to a white pillar of flowers, caressing the silky petals carefully. Each bloom was heavy with dew, the clear scent of water mixing with the heavy fragrance of heavenly rose, shards of light piercing through the smooth texture of the water droplets. 

Something shattered somewhere behind the bush you were standing next to, a cry following tightly. You didn’t mind at first, thinking that there are enough people to take care of it. But once the little number of students who were outside started to flock in through the open doors you started to wonder what was going on. 

“Hey, Y/n?” 

Jimin was standing at the top of the stairs before you turned to face him, making him jog to you with a weird look on his face. 

“We should really go… oh, why is it warm here?” 

“I think Sibney put a heating charm on these.” You motioned to the red jewels and he nodded, frown still on his face. “What’s with the look, why are you looking at me like that?” 

“It’s, um…” He put his weight from one leg to the other. “There is a rumor spreading inside, so I wanted to come to find you before…” 

“What rumor?” You narrowed your eyes at him. “Why would you care about a rumor?” 

Yelling came from the back again, some sort of wailing coming from the corner of the yard. Torn between what to pay attention to, you almost turned to go in the direction of the voice before Jimin grabbed your wrist, serious expression on his face. 

“Jimin, what the hell, someone could be in trouble!” You hurried, pulling on your arm. 

“Yes, someone is in trouble, but you shouldn’t go there.” Another wail pierced the sky and the blood rushed out of your face at the sound. 

“Okay, you need to start talking.” You hissed, anger torrenting in your veins. 

“Noona!” Kook yelled for you somewhere in the castle. 

“I found her!” Jimin yelled back. The boy took a second to sprint to you, picking up your free hand immediately and pulling you towards the hall. 

“What the… what is going on?” You gaped at the two, the sounds behind you still spilling into your ear. 

“We’ll tell you inside,” Kook replied firmly, dragging you by your arm. 

“The hell you will, what if…” 

“Trust me, that person does not want you there.” Jimin cut it, making your brother nod curtly. 

“Okay, that is it.” You planted your leg firmly on the stone, yanking your arm out of Jimin’s hold to whip out your wand from the slit of your dress, instantly casting a _ Protego! _ the second your fingers secured on the magical object. “Now you start talking. This will last at least two minutes before it fades and Merlin help me, I can recast it before either of you can say _Riddikulus_.” 

“Noona…” Kookie gaped, dropping his arms to his torso. 

“Don’t ‘Noona’ me.” You stared at the boy. “Since when don’t we help someone who is _ clearly _ in pain? What is wrong with you two?” 

“Since it’s_ her! _” The boy replied, the last word almost a hiss. “The person you so desperately want to help is her!” 

“What... “ You blinked in surprise. 

“What you are hearing is Ellie and Taehyung fighting! Do you seriously want to go there and fix it?” 

Your mind swarmed. 

“What, why would…” 

You whipped your attention between the two boys, one obviously furious and the other hesitant. Jimin was staring at the cobblestones, a muscle twitching on his neck. 

“Would someone _ please _ tell me what is going on?” You whispered, almost scared by their lack of response. 

“Ellie said something stupid…” Jimin slowly began. 

“That is nothing new.” You snapped quietly. 

“Yes, but this time she screwed it up.” Kook noted, looking up at the sky. He seemed almost… at peace. “She cheated.” 

“W-wh…” Choking on the question, you just gaped, absolutely gobsmacked. 

“You see, she was talking with some girls while Tae was doing something. They were talking about all sorts of things and I guess she drank something because she was saying all these things. Things that did not make sense, because Taehyung doesn’t live near her. Taehyung doesn’t hate animals. And while Taehyung definitely kisses her from time to time, judging by the look he gave her when he heard her, he did not do other things.” Kook murmured, in a tone that fitted a bedtime story for a child, not something as life-changing as this was. 

“Y/n, she basically got a little drunk and bragged about her experience and Tae heard her.” Jimin summed it up, reaching out for you. “Can we go in now?” 

“I…” You stood there, not comprehending it all. “Shouldn’t we do something?” 

“What could we do?” The Slytherin finally looked up at you, pain sketched all over his expression. “He needs to sorts this out and I’m not sure how… sober is she to understand what she did. What could we possibly do?” 

The charm must have vanished, because he was able to touch your hand again, cradling your fingers in his palm. 

“Let’s just go. Before I hear something I don’t want to and go there before I could stop myself.” He muttered, and this time you followed him up to the stairs, unsure and reluctant. Kook was behind you, quietly walking. 

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” You asked the boy, who just sighed at the question. You were slowly making your way inside, climbing the steps with heavy hearts. 

The necklace on your skin burned up for a second, snapping your attention to it. Your free hand whipped to it as you turned your head around to see what happened. 

“Y/n, what is…” 

The gems flared up again, and you turned to see something you never thought you would. 

A shaking hand was pointing a wand at you, trembling in every few seconds, a gaped mouth muttering sharply. Hair not sleekly brushed back anymore, face twisted into a scowl. 

In the dark grotto full of roses and warmly lit fairies, Ellie was facing up at you in a silent scream covering her expression. She flicked and whipped her wand around, and your necklace burned up after every single one, the spells never reaching you. 

“Why isn’t it working, why won’t you just…” She hissed, her frame tremoring with each word. 

“Where is Taehyung?” Jimin asked, whipping her attention from you to him for a heartbeat. 

“He is gone, he is… “

“What the hell do you mean _ gone? _” Kook raised his voice, fear coloring his tone. “What did you do to him?” 

“I lost him!” She yelled, anguish pouring out of her as she bent in her stand. “He won’t ever look at me again, he said he doesn’t love me anymore… why couldn’t you just _ STAY AWAY! _” She screamed, shocking the three of you before walking closer, naming every curse and hex she could think of. Which was not much, but the vehemence of her voice started to raise the fine hairs on your arm. 

“I stayed away, Ellie.” You locked eyes with her. “I didn’t reach out, not once.” 

“I know you did something. You had to. Everything was fine until he suddenly kept leaving me. And now he left me, _ for good. _ Why did I deserve this? Why didn’t he love me more? What is so _ fucking _ special about you anyway? _ Diffindo!” _

A sudden yelp from your side stuck the air in your lungs. Kook yanked his hand out of yours to grab his collarbone, red staining his white shirt. 

“What the…” Jimin called, immediately jumping to the boy to see the wound. 

A chill ran through your spine as you watched the Slytherin open up the material to see a gash underneath. It wasn’t a deep cut by any means, a superficial cut to draw some blood. Jimin took out his wand to close it, cleaning it up before the gap was no more, but Kook whined at the pain, his face contorting for a good minute. 

You didn’t need to think about it. Hell, you probably didn’t think at all. 

First, you cast a _ Protego totalum! _ behind you, shielding off those two from anymore misplaced attacks. Second was a silencing charm because nobody will hear this. None of them. And the third was to throw out Ellie to the dark courtyard. 

“Ellie Rickett, I’m going to tell you this once, so you need to pay attention.” You murmured, walking closer to the spot where she was laying on the ground. She gaped at you, a furious glint in her eye. The closer you got the more the smell of alcohol thickened, twisting with the fragrance of the roses in your nose. “You will _ not _ harm _ anyone. _”

To emphasize your words, you cast a body-binding charm on her nonverbally. Only her eyes moved from that point on, torrents of emotions clashing in them. 

“I don’t care what you think, this world does not revolve around you. Hell, not even this castle does. Nobody cares you screwed up your relationship. And nobody deserves to get punished because you. Screwed. Up!” Each word got weight as you whipped your wand at the nearby roses, cutting them off by the dozens as you raged. 

“If you touch my little brother again, I swear to anything I hold dear, I will hunt you down like there is no tomorrow. To hell with the consequences. Not him, not my friends, not _ anyone. _”

You lifted the curse to let her speak, motioning to her to try and move as you stood above her. She blinked in surprise, her hand automatically grabbing her wand to swish it across you fiercely. 

“Pathetic.” You commented, tilting your head to the side. Anger burned through your skin, egging you to do things you would never think of. “Where is Taehyung?” 

“As if I’m going to tell _ you! _” 

“Fine, but at least tell me whether or not you have done something to him. Besides ruining his life for more than a year.” 

“I made him HAPPY!” 

“Girl, you need glasses.” You huffed, looking around. “How can you be so amazingly thick is beyond me. Fifth-year and the best curse you could fling at me was _ Diffindo. _” 

She whimpered, dropping the arm she had her wand in. 

“_ Homenum revelio!” _You swing your wand in a big swoop, waiting. All the spell told you how it was only you and Ellie on the courtyard, the closest humans around Jimin and Kook inside. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” She earned your attention, sobs gurgling from her throat. 

“Trying to help a friend. You need to go inside before you get a cold.” You replied, glancing back at the stairs where the boys were making their way downstairs. 

“Why don’t you understand I love him?” She whined, rolling to her side. “I need him!” 

“And why don’t you understand you need to love him in a way that doesn’t harm him or others? How insanely selfish and thoughtless can you be? How could you need someone you just shattered to pieces? Or you conveniently forgot about that? How you just happened to cheat on the ‘love of your life’?” You bent your fingers as you draw the invisible quotation marks. “In what twisted way were you sorted into Hufflepuff? How could you even deserve the kindness he gave you?” 

“Was it kindness? Being with me while always looking at you?” She quietly asked, cries penetrating her words. “What makes you so special?” She asked again, her voice breaking as she sat up. 

“She is nothing like you, that’s what.” Jimin murmured as he reached you. “I thought you will be bloodier, I have to admit.” 

“Are you okay?” You turned to Kookie, hand going straight to the spot under his bloody shirt. 

“I’m fine, it wasn’t that bad.” He hummed as you pulled him into a hug. “It just surprised me, that’s all. Why didn’t her attacks work?” 

“Sibney charmed the jewels.” You muttered. “I asked her to, just in case.” 

“Smart.” He nodded, looking up from Ellie sitting on the ground, still sobbing to you. “What are we going to do?” 

“We need to find him. If he is not careful he will freeze out there.” 

“And how are we supposed to scan the grounds with the three of us?” Jimin asked, agitated by the prospect. “Even if we ask the others, it could take all night and we will get sick too. Detention too, for sure.” 

“Not necessarily.” You noted. 

“Yeah, if he lits a fire or uses _ Lumos _, we could find him and bring him back.” Kookie nodded. 

“How?” Ellie hiccuped, her teary eyes on you.

“Wait a second.” You stared down at her. “She should be hexed somehow.” 

“What do you mean hexed? Didn't you hex her?” Jimin pulled up an eyebrow, not following.

“She attacked me.” You stated as if it was obvious. “She should be punished since the jewels… ah, I have no idea what hex did Sibney use.” 

“I have one,” Kookie replied, his eyes fixed on the girl. “Look at her.” 

His words made all three of you stare at her, trying to pick up a clue. But all she did was cry silently, nothing different or particular about her.

“I don’t get it.” You declared, a little puzzled. 

“She is crying.” Kookie motioned to her face. 

“Yeah, so? Her boyfriend just left her.” Jimin turned towards the boy. “Who is currently missing and we should be looking for him if you would get to the bloody point.” 

“She wasn’t crying when she attacked us. She was just pissed and deranged. I think Sibney made her regret what she did.” Kook summed it up, little breathless by the end of it. 

“So she is crying because of me.” You pointed a finger towards yourself. “That is…”

“Sort of hilarious.” Jimin finished, leaving the last word hanging for a second. “So, how are you going to find him?” 

“We’re obviously going to fly.” You said, already freeing yourself of your valuables. “Jimin, please put these away for me. I’m not sure where do these things like my clothes go when I shift.” 

“Interesting.” He muttered, pocketing your necklace and the earrings. “Kook, what will you do?” 

“What do you mean what will I do, I’ll fly too.” The boy huffed irritably, rolling an eye. 

“Kookie, are you sure you can shift? You only did it twice.” You looked at him, a little concerned. 

“Hey, don’t baby me!” He murmured, eyes already closed. His frame started to vibrate a bit around the edges until he was gone one second and the huge bird plunged towards the sky with a huge gush of air. The shift alone broke most of the bushes in the courtyard, the charms placed on them already regrowing the torn-off branches. 

“Oh, wow.” Jimin gaped up, his eyes rounding up as he stared at the thunderbird above him. 

“I know. He really is something.” You noted softly. The Slytherin’s gaze met yours and you smiled at each other before he turned at the shellshocked girl beside him. 

“Is it okay for her to see this?” 

“I honestly don’t care. If she starts talking, I’ll hex her to forget her own name.” You made eye contact with her, coaxing the Hufflepuff to close her mouth with an audible click. “Will you be okay?” You looked at your partner, suddenly a little sad about all of this. “Tonight was supposed to be fun.”

“Aaah, don’t do that. I had an amazing time.” He waved at you with both hands. “Most of the students were gone to bed by the time we separated, so we probably danced all night. Just find him, okay? I’ll tell the others. Wait for you in the kitchen?”

“Sure. We’ll hurry as fast as we can.” 

The blond-haired Slytherin just nodded, squeezing your hand before you shut your eyes, concentrating. It took a beat or two to get the hang of it, mind filled with too much to work with before you felt your body shift. Whipping your wings, you shot upwards like a bullet. Bizarrely aware of how both humans sighed after you, you worked yourself up until you were the same height as the glittering bird beside you. He trilled lowly, looking downwards already. In a smooth circular motion, you followed his lead and plunged through the cool night sky, looking for the little dot of light you lost so long ago. 


	11. Chapter 11

Silky darkness enveloped you from every angle. 

Air coming from your left ruffled your feathers every so softly as the night sky gently trod on, reaching it’s deepest, inkiest shade before turning lighter as the morning came. Not a cloud spreading over your head, only the glittering dust of stars shining down from the canvas that held the moon in place. 

Kookie was a little higher than you, his huge form pushing and lifting the air around him in a torrent of constant tide, his gaze fixed on the castle below you. You have been scanning the surface of the grounds for at least a half an hour now, but it was completely empty. Unless your target moved under an evergreen bush, you should’ve spotted him by now. 

There were movement, occasional specks of hope and each time you flew a little closer, leaving the thunderbird flapping above you as he waited for you to confirm whether you have found Taehyung or not. But it wasn’t the case. Patrolling teachers and students sneaking around, but at least you were sure there are still people out and about. Maybe one of them stumbles into the Ravenclaw you were looking for. 

Slowly giving up around the close perimeter of the castle, the two of you began with the easiest second option: the open fields not too far where you first shifted. You had no reason to believe he would’ve ran here, but maybe he didn’t think about his directions at all. Maybe he was already lost with no idea how to go back where he came from. 

Dipping lower towards the ground, you watched the fields of snow pass by, one gentle hill after the other with no human in sight. There was life out there, smaller animals moving under the thick snow, nocturnal species hunting for a meal in the dead of night, but what you were looking for was not there either. The absence of footprints bore into you mind, blanketing your thoughts in numbing desperation. 

A sharp whistle earned your attention, Kook stopping behind you into a halt. Turning around and flying back to him, you tilted your head in question. 

_ Maybe he has an idea… _

The thunderbird turned his head and pointed his beak, piercing through the sky towards a dark gathering of trees. 

_ Oh, come on… _

Maybe your reluctance was showing as the bigger bird huffed at you, the rush of his exhale throwing you back a good way backward. With a flip of his wing, he turned and aimed for the forest not too far away. 

_ The Forbidden Forest. _

While McGonagall didn’t specifically ask you not to go there in your animagus form, you were sure she would not approve of your newest destination. But given how the castle, it’s near surroundings were a miss with these fields as well, only two options were left: the lake and the forest. Instantly letting go of the former as a possibility, only the latter remained.

_ Why would he go in there? _

Hissing at Kookie’s speed, you picked up the pace, reaching a spot under his neck. There were faint notes coming from his throat, making you wonder whether he could hum in his form or not. Or whether he even noticed what he was doing. The quiet notes were tender, barely brushing against your ears, calming your still thundering heart. 

How could Ellie ever do such things? How could she say all those nasty things to you and everyone else while… the tips of your wings brightened up as your flames burst at your racing thoughts, visually representing your raging emotions for you. It did nothing to quell your anger how she cried, how she pleaded to have Taehyung again. Her need for him was almost material, as if he was something akin to a favorite teddy bear or your childhood blanket that protected her from thunderstorm. All you could see in it was the disrespect for his needs and the disregard of what should have she done. If it were you, you would’ve…

_ But it wasn’t. It’s not.  _

_ Don’t forget that. _

Blinking at the sudden stab, you pushed the topic away in your mind. It wasn’t helping the situation and it wasn’t helping you either. That girl is selfish, you knew as much from the get-go. The rest doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. 

With a low trill, Kookie snapped back your attention. You have already passed the first few trees of the black spot stretching over the ground under you, the density increasing with every beat of your wings. Skeleton-like branches reached towards the sky with an occasional patch of evergreens wafting their unmistakable scent. You could make out a few different creatures lurking around, and some of them looked up to seize up the competition from above. Yellowish eyes flashed in your direction, some scared, some angered. 

Not welcoming the sight, you pulled a little higher, eager to spot a blink of light that could indicate a person in the forest. 

_ He has to lit a fire, otherwise he would freeze. _

Circling closer to the castle, you could recognize the silhouette of Hagrid’s hut, dark and empty as the groundskeeper was probably not home yet. The lake stretched not too far away, glittering ripples dancing on the surface as the moon shined down peacefully. The sight should’ve been heart-clenching beautiful if not for the reason of your late-night flight. 

Kook suddenly sped up, his big wings creating more pressure under them as he shot forward, skirting close to the edge of the forest. His aim was almost by the shore where the forest licked into the water, and you finally noticed what earned your brother’s attention. 

Faint ribbons of smoke twisted through the trees right by the edge, a small yellow dot dancing through the black, the lake mirroring off the light in a long replica. 

An almost happy trill left you as you propelled forward, already angling yourself downwards without a second thought while Kookie stayed above, his huge form not fitting through the trees. Almost missing your cue to slow down, you sped by the fire to turn around above the water to face the person responsible for the flickering flames. 

At first you couldn’t see him. A huge towering tree dug its visible roots through the rocky ground, thick dark stems freely twisting in the air as part of the soil was missing. The nest-like hole was overcast with shadows as the fire moved in the little wind you felt caress your feathers. You could only notice the person huddled inside when Kook sank lower, the beat of his wings violating the peaceful dance of the fire enough to illuminate the boy. He was sitting down, arms around his pulled up knees, head bent as his shoulder’s shook ever so slightly. He didn’t notice the two magical beasts before him or didn’t care enough to see what has approached him. 

Hesitantly looking up at Kookie, you searched for an answer he might have. 

_ What now? _

The thunderbird stared at the boy, silent for several seconds with only his wings creating sound as he maintained his position above the silky-looking water. To you, the sound of his feathers was noticeable, almost loud, impossible to miss, but maybe to Taehyung, it was just another noise of the forest, something to ignore. With his face hidden, he couldn’t see your flames in the dark either, so the only thing you could do was get closer to him. Agitated by the thought of scaring him, you flew a little closer before blinking behind you at the glittering bird. 

Kook lowly whistled, motioning you to go further. Seeing your still evident hesitation, the boy had the audacity to snap his wings behind him to whip it to the front, creating enough air to push you to almost to the shore by the sheer force of it. Giving off a satisfied sound, you were sure the boy was laughing at you as you hissed at him furiously. 

Turning back to the tree, the Ravenclaw stopped shaking, his body rather stiff. Your exchange with Kookie must have sounded foreign to him, the equivalent of frightening in the Forest. Spinning ideas in your mind, you decided to talk to him, in the only way you can in this form. 

Starting off from a low hum, you gently began to sing, slowly building up to a circular melody of soft notes. Filling in the tones of how sorry you were with what happened to him and how you wanted to help, in any way you could, you slowly descended, one leg already stretched out below you to touch the ground as silently as you could. The pebbles creaked under your weight, growing louder as both of your talons dug into the wet gravel. Maybe the sound was familiar enough over your song, or perhaps too close, because suddenly he was looking at you, straight at you. 

Choking on the air flowing through your throat, you stared back, silently gawking at each other. Tears glistened on his cheeks, red dusting his lips and eyes as he hiccupped for air, his messy black hair lost it’s probable composed shape. It must have been nicely curled, just enough to look ruffled but not overdone, not too artificial to lose the sense of looking natural at first glance. His hands were curled up into fists, drawing closer to his chest now, legs still pressed together. There was a midnight blue cloak spreading down from his shoulders, blanketing him like a comforting hug. 

His eyes never left you, piercing into your own. If you didn’t knew better, it was almost hostile at first as his anger for the world screamed from him. It took a long minute until it drained, his gaze growing tired and empty with a hint of curiosity shimmering under the surface. Grabbing onto that curiosity, you hopped closer and when he didn’t move away, you took the liberty to spread your wings enough to land right beside him. Sharing the same eye-level, he stared at you, too numb to flinch away, too tired to care. He was holding on to you like an anchor, all of his attention on you and only you. 

Fingertips playing in icy blue while his face was impossibly white save for the redness due to his crying, you decided to try to warm him as effectively as you could. Exchanging the root you landed on previously to his knees, immediately losing altitude as he dropped his legs apart for you to fall into the space created between his calves. Unconsciously hissing in surprise, your flames stood a little taller in alert, coaxing a chuckle from him. 

Snapping your glance up to his, he blinked in surprise, as if he was unaware of the noise he just made. His hands were not drawn to him anymore, caught in the air where he forgot them as he let go of his legs, frozen. Tilting your head at him in question, he gave no reaction, wordlessly gaping at you. 

_ Alright… _

Slowly pulling up wing up, you let the feathers stretch out, casting a long shadow over his right side, barely reaching into his profile. His gaze danced between the wing and your eyes, trying to decipher what you wanted before you sunk it closer to him, almost reaching his upper arm. Very aware of how your flames shrunk to their smallest, you almost reached the white long sleeve of his buttondown when he shifted again, pulling the arm out of the way. 

The expression on his face was almost comical, the childlike fear mixed with open wonder as you categorically put the wing on his shoulder. Eyes rounding just as his lips parted in surprise, he whipped his head to stare at the unburning shoulder, inhaling sharply. 

“What in Merlin’s pants…” 

You chuckled, amused by the reaction as you pulled your left wing on his other side, closing the space to warm him up. He sniffed, not moving as he looked around the now purple-ish red cage you made, the fire behind you coloring his skin with the shades of your feathers. After a few moments, he shifted a bit, placing one hand on his thigh while the other near the ends of the closest feathers to him. Wordlessly asking for permission, you agreed with a soft hum. 

You barely felt his index finger, hardly putting pressure on the slightly see-through threads. He forgot his mouth open as he drew his torso a little closer, watching very intently how his finger got closer and closer to the baby flame on the tip of the feather until it touched it. Flinching instantly away, he stared at the finger before touching the flicker again head-on. 

_ He is such a kid. _

Chuckling at him, you shook your head, earning his attention back to you. 

“Are you laughing? Can birds laugh?” 

A bit taken aback how he just started not only talking but asking questions, you automatically nodded as a yes. Only mildly stunned, he went on. 

“Okay. So you understand me.” 

Another nod. 

“Huh…” His deep voice cracked only a little, making you lose your laugh. “I’m guessing you are a phoenix, so does this mean you’re the Headmaster's? What was the name…” 

You shook your head firmly. 

“Okay, so not that one. Are you a wild one?” 

_ Nope. _

“Are you someone’s?” 

_ This is a weird guessing game. _

“Do you want to be mine?” 

_ Weird is an understatement at this point. _

A loud eagle-like noise came from the lake and you were rudely reminded how Kookie not only was there, but heard everything too. The booming sounds were almost cackle-like, and you sighed exasperatedly. 

“You have a friend here?” His gaze flickered to where Kook’s voice came, not scared at all. “Why did you guys come here? Is your nest near?” 

Too many questions to answer him, you just tilted your head. Probably realizing how you didn’t know what to answer to, he hummed deeply, lips curling downward as he made a face. He kept quiet for a while, only occasionally shifting. By the looks of it, he was thinking about something, attention flickering between the magical beast before him and whatever was on his mind. But at least he didn’t look destroyed anymore, only numb and tired. 

“I wonder what brought you here…” He soft began, eyes cast on the pebbles his knee rested on. “You think I can go back?” 

The heart-shaped lips whispered the question, nearly no volume supporting the words. Unsure whether he was talking about the castle or not, you dipped your head in agreement, coaxing a trembling smile to spread on his expression. 

“Looking back, maybe I deserved it. This whole… mess.” He picked up a wet stick, aimlessly picking at the ground with it. His hand regained a healthier color, not so pale white anymore. “If I weren’t such a coward, things could’ve been so different, so much… “ He sighed, dropping the stick. 

Blinking at his rambling, your wings trembled for a beat. 

_ You didn’t deserve any of this.  _

“Oh, you must be tired.” Taehyung looked up at you, a hint of an apology coloring his tone. “It’s okay, you can put them down. I’ll be fine. I’m not cold, see?” 

He held up both hands for you to see, but you didn’t care. Thinking of whether you could just pick the Ravenclaw up and fly back to the castle, you wondered where to take hold of him when a much heavier set of talons landed behind you, a quick trill earning both of your attention. 

Breaking the cocoon of reddish warmth, you looked behind you on the shore, where Kook aimed his wet leg over the fire, the drops blistering on the little wood that was still intact until it was gone and only the pearly white moonshine provided light. 

“Whoa…” Tae gaped at the thunderbird looming behind you, lips rounding as he tried to speak. 

Kookie whistled at you, throwing his head to the side to ask you to step away. Probably thinking similarly to you, he wanted to bring the boy home and sure enough, when you hopped up to one of the thicker roots above Tae’s head with a smooth flap of your wings, the magical beast held out a strong set of his talons towards the Ravenclaw. He stared at the leg, half-scared and half-shellshocked, frozen in place. 

Watching the exchange, you decided to help the two fallen out friends by aiming for the small space between Taehyung’s back and the stony wall behind him to push him towards the waiting thunderbird. 

“Wh… Where do you want to take me?”

_ Home. _

Hooking your claws into his coat, you stuck close to his back as he got up to his wobbly feet. Probably blood-drained and weak, he almost instantly stumbled over while you used your wings to whisk him back up. He yelped in surprise, sound frozen in his throat when Kook came closer and offered his leg to hold onto, creating a cradle between his digits where Tae could sit as if it were a grotesque swing. 

“This is either the weirdest dream or something was in that elderberry potion.” He muttered right before Kook took off, shooting towards the sky. The pressure coming from his wings was strong and breath-taking, trapping whatever the boy was going to say dead on his tongue. His back shuddered, the tremors growing violent as the thunderbird climbed higher, aiming towards the castle. Wrapping both wings around his torso, he balled up under your feathers, shivering. 

_ Hurry Kookie.  _

\-----------------------------------

What felt like ages, but was mere minutes instead, you touched down between the rose bushes. The grotto reclaimed it’s earlier state, the rose bushed towering tall with full bloom flowers. Taehyungs legs softly reached the ground as you helped him to his feet, but his shivers continued. Blinking up at the thunderbird slowly descending, he motioned into the castle with a flick of his beak, cajoling you to keep going. Not sparing a second, you reattached your claws by the shoulders of his cloak and sped off while something landed behind you. 

“The kitchen, Noona!” 

_ I know, I know. _

“Noona?” A weak sound came from below you as you passed the empty-looking Great Hall. A few night owls were still inside, quietly talking and picking from the leftover food, their gentle murmuring reaching you as you left the warm glow behind you. The sounds of someone jogging behind you followed you all the way to the corridor with the fruit bowl, where you had to let go of Tae. Much to your amazement, the door to the kitchen opened immediately with confident speed, Seokjin appearing in the tight pathway. 

“Merlin’s beard, that took you forever! Wha… oh.  _ Oh.” _ He took a second, shutting his eyes to the scene spreading in front of him. “Okay. Y/nie, we will have a talk after this. Seriously, you little… Ah, look at you.” His eyes reached from your barely airborne form to Taehyung’s collapsing one. The older lion shot out to catch the boy, reaching under his arms to hold him up. “Taehyung!” 

“What do you mean Y/nie?” The weak Ravenclaw whispered, agitated. “Jinnie, hi.” 

“Yes, hello to you too. Let’s get going inside.” Jin huffed. It took you a good deal of concentration to shift back, but your strangely heavy feet were on the ground again by the time Jin disappeared in the dark behind the portrait, Kook’s footsteps drawing around the corner. 

“Where is he?” The boy asked breathlessly. He looked positively tired, bending over to support his torso with his hands on his knees before he took a couple of bigger breaths. 

“Jin just took him inside. Kook, he is freezing.” You blinked at him, sounding much more scared than you realized you were. Your entire body felt warm and numb from exhaustion, the long day taking it’s toll on you too.

“Yeah, well he was in the forest in the dead of winter for almost an hour in the middle of the night.” He muttered, anger flaring up in his tone. “I’m seriously going to murder that girl.” 

“You heard what he said?” You asked quietly. 

“Most of it.” Your brother nodded, straightening out his back to march you inside. “Let's get inside. You need to eat something too, you look pale as a vampire.” 

“Right back at you.” You mumbled. 

Dragging your tired bodies inside, Kook closed the portrait and you pulled out your wand from under your skirt. Lighting a small  _ Lumos _ , you trod towards the light at the end of the tunnel with sore feet. The heels have reached the limit of pain you could put up with, and you vowed to get rid of them the second you sit down. Kookie already undid his bowtie and started to button off his cuffs much more patiently than you expected of him, almost free by the time you reached the warm glow of the kitchen. 

The space was almost deserted, the fires still going in their places. Shadows were cast long and wide over the tables and ingredients, all surfaces empty and clean. The boys were in the corner where you usually sit between the bags of wheat and flour, huddled around the small trembling form of the Ravenclaw you were carrying in minutes ago. 

“What is going on, where are the elves?” Kookie whispered, looking around in confusion. 

“Where do you think? They have been working for over a day for the ball, none of them are standing on their feet.” Yoongi muttered, sounding helpless.

“I’ve made hot cocoa, but I don’t think it’ll help.” Hobi murmured, the mug ready in his hand over Taehyung’s head. 

“He sounds like he has a fever dream, but his temperature is too low.” Joonie looked at the pair of you coming in. Jimin was kneeling beside his friend, only sparing you and Kook a single glance. His eyes were vacant and dry, silent desperation in them. 

“Ellie took off half an hour after you left. She kept crying while you were near, but once you flew away, she did too. Egoistic hag.” 

“Better than to keep bothering you.” You noted, sitting down beside him, carefully crossing your legs under your skirt while you snatched off the shoes with a satisfied sigh. 

“I still don’t get it, shouldn’t we take him to the hospital wing?” Kook stood behind you, growing more frustrated. “Why are we watching him getting sick?” 

“We were just talking about our possibilities. We could take him to Madam Pomfrey and could tell her how he got like this.” Yoongi shrugged. “But we can try here too.” 

“Sure, okay.” Kook huffed. “Sibney!” 

“Kook, you are waking her…” You began, a little embarrassed. 

“Young Lord!” A long yawn rippled from Kookie’s ankle. “How could I be of service?”

“Sibney, could you please help our friend? The one in the blue coat. He was outside for too long. I realize it is really late, but we…” 

Your brother didn’t have a chance to finish as the elf noticed the boy balled up in front of you. Her focus immediately zeroed in, shooting from her position to the tight space between Jimin and you, her hands already moving as she muttered something. 

“I’m sorry Sibney.” You whispered gently, but the elf only offered you a small smile.

“It is no problem. However, I won’t be able to heal him completely.” 

“What do you mean?” Joon asked weakly, kneeling down on your other side. You felt Kook stand closer to you, knees by your shoulder blades as he asked to hold your hand. He was much more shaken than he let on, his hands cold against yours as he squatted behind you.

“He is heartbroken. Not only his body is cold, but his soul too.” The elf replied quietly. Jimin inhaled sharply while you felt your heart sink. It became impossibly silent, none of you saying anything as Sibney warmed Taehyung with charms of her own. The boy looked so small, the way he held himself close to himself as if he was trying not to take up too much space, head between his shoulders. 

“If I see that girl one more time before me, I’ll not be held responsible for my actions.” Jin murmured under his breath, the threat hanging in the air as all of you digested it. “This is all of her fault. Everything.” 

“We are responsible too,” Joon noted. 

“Seriously, how? What could we have done while she possessed him like an object?” Kook exploded behind you, almost snatching his hand away but you held on it to it too tightly. 

“So you are saying one girl is responsible for the seven of us? Every decision we’ve ever made?” Hobi glanced at the boy, sorrow ridden all over his expression. 

“What were we supposed to do? He said he loves her!” 

“And we love him. We should’ve done something more.” Jimin whispered, his voice shaking. “I’m not going to speak for all of you, but I was hard on him the past few days. I wasn’t strong enough to hold on.” 

“Jimin…” You whined. This was going very differently than you imagined in the past. You thought getting Tae back would be celebrated, an unborn happy memory waiting to happen. Not this mournful atmosphere verging on either yelling at each other or breaking down and crying. “This is not helping, none of this. It is done anyway.” 

“True.” Yoongi groaned. “What can we do now?” 

The older Slytherin’s question shifted somewhat the mood lingering in the kitchen. Becoming aware of the present possibilities, you looked around the boys. Most of them looked sleepy, unsteady on their feet, and emotionally drained, but nothing a good sleep can’t fix. The ones who worried you were Jimin and Kookie besides the obvious. 

Taehyung was letting the elf move him a bit, uncoiling his arms from his legs. He croaked a small hello at the creature helping him, slowly raising his head to look around him. 

“W-wh-where…” 

“You’re in the kitchen Taehyungie.” Jimin answered instantly, his eyes fixed on the more conscious-looking Ravenclaw. 

“J-Jim-Jiminie… I was… I was in the forest. How… how am I…” His deep voice struggled, shoulders still shuddering in every few seconds. 

“We flew you back Tae.” Kook softly answered. “I picked you up, Noona protected you. You’re safe now.” 

“My Lady, do you have your jewelry here?” Sibney quietly asked, a hand on the boy’s back. 

“Ah, Jimin, do you…”

“Yeah,” He fetched the red stones from the inside of his vest, offering them to the elf who immediately placed them in Tae’s hand. He stared at the red jewels with the torrent of wind racing inside them as they colored his skin in scarlet hue. 

“Warmer?” You asked, leaning a little closer to him.

It took him a beat to look up at you, disoriented and confused. Sibney took this change as a good sign as she shot off somewhere behind you, a series of clashing and knocking sounds picking up volume. Tae kept staring at you as his paleness melted off before he pulled his torso back from hunching over, twisting his face a bit in pain. 

“What do you remember?” Kook asked softly, his breath close to your neck as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. The matureness dissolved from him and you were glad he was leaning into you this much: both the warmth of his torso and the reassurance he asked for grounded you in a way you welcomed very much. Everything was wobbly and uncertain with everyone in the kitchen emotional and slightly scared. It was cold and late, so the little familiarity Kookie brought was more comforting than anything. 

“I…” Taehyung blinked. “I was somewhere…” He tried to clear his throat, coughing, and shaking a bit at the same time. His voice was getting smoother, not as croaked as he went on. “I was by the lake. It was cold and I was alone, because…” Eyes rounding at the memory, he snapped his gaze away from the pair of you to the side, staring into Yoongi’s shoes who stood closest to him from the left. “...Ellie.”

“We heard. You don’t have to talk about it.” Yoongi assured him, placing a hand on the Ravenclaw’s shoulder. The boy bit into his lower lip, taking bigger breaths as he tried to steady himself. 

“What happened after, Taehyungie?” Jin asked carefully, diverting the attention from the sore topic. 

“Ah, um… I saw…” Tae shook his head a bit, hands helplessly falling into his lap. “I think I hallucinated or something like that. There were birds. Two of them. One, I think was a phoenix, and I talked with it, and they…” He suddenly stared at Kookie, brows pulling together. “What do you mean you  _ flew me back?” _

“Ah, you see…” Jimin began, whipping his gaze between you and Kook and Tae. “You…” 

“You missed a few things.” Joon ended the sentence for the Slytherin, pointedly looking at him. 

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” You almost laughed, not minding Jimin’s slip. 

“Yeah, we can tell him.” You felt Kook shrug, before pulling and arm free to point at you. “Phoenix.” His index finger turned to himself. “Thunderbird.” 

“Wait, what?!” Jin yelled. “You guys  _ knew? _ ” 

“Well…” Hobi shifted his weight from one leg to another. 

“Not exactly, we didn’t see Kook yet.” Joon flushed a bit at the sudden change in situations. 

“What do you mean  _ didn’t see?!” _

“Y/n shifted before you got to there today…”

“Traitor!” You yelled at Hobi, smacking his knee. 

“Oh, I knew anyway.” Yoongi inserted calmly, a small smile tugging at the curl of his lips.

“Why am I the last person to know?” Jin went on, his words spilling out faster and faster after each sentence. “Even Taehyung got to see them!”

“In our defense, we didn’t see Kook-ah yet…” 

“Oh, boo-hoo Namjoon-ah!” 

In the unfolding chaos, many things happened: the sixth years went into the quarrel, filling the kitchen with voices of overplayed outrage, awkward explanations, and an undertone of lingering humor. Sibney suddenly appeared and started handing out bowls of thick garlic soup with crispy croutons, not minding the boys. JK shifted from his squat to take a seat by you on the floor, a pulled up leg still leaning on your back. And the last, but most important detail was sitting across from you, accepting his own bowl with a faint smile as he looked up at his lost friends go at it, light returning into his dark eyes. 

You tugged at Jimin’s shirt to point out the change wordlessly, and the boy monitored his friend closely for the following minutes, eyes not leaving the Ravenclaw as he ate his soup. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he let out a long sigh, nodding back at you with a relief playing on his expression. 

“He is going to be fine after all.” 

\--------------------------------------------

Christmas season this year was so much different than the ones before. The castle was brimming with students who did not know what to do with their time now you were all past the ball. The corridors were loud and there was no place in the castle without at least a student or two lingering around. 

Stories floated around about the night of the ball. Everyone heard of at least one significant thing happening and the juicy gossip was unstoppable when it came to Hogwarts students. 

The morning after, you listened to what everyone had to say in your room, laying around your bed as the morning neared noon. It was soothing in a way you usually don’t experience: just girls sharing what they knew, softly spoken in comfortable clothes, and freshly washed hair from all the products from last night. In the end, Angelina did kiss Fred, even though it was a horrible first attempt, but at least he made it okay with a few jokes. Katie told you how Ellie slipped up exactly and the girls shared their sympathy for Taehyung, not really wanting to ask about him. 

You weren’t sure what would you say if one of them spoke up and asked you about it. Sibney helped everyone to their common rooms separately, so there was no real talk about how will things proceed from now on, but maybe there was no need to have that discussion anyway. He acted very shyly, mostly listening to others than speaking himself, ducking his head every now and then as the attention shifted in his direction. 

Rolling to your back, you felt your feet reach over the end of your mattress as your head was closer to the end of your four-poster bed. Every part of you felt heavy, warm, and numb even after a good 8 hours of sleep. There was no need to sleep more, and you couldn’t fall asleep even if you tried, but you didn’t want to get up yet. A little unsure, you wondered why are you like this. 

There was nothing out there that was… making you want to stay. But at the same time, you weren’t thrilled how there are people out there who could be gossiping about you. Do they think they know everything? Do they  _ actually _ know what happened last night? Is Ellie telling a different story? Is Taehyung blamed for anything? 

A mirage of questions floated in the back of your mind as the sun traveled outside and the girls went on with their plans for the day. Plan you did not have. You should be hungry by now, but your body did not indicate any need for sustenance. Drawing in a big sigh, you pulled yourself up to sit right by the edge of your bed. Feet hanging in the cool air, your hair spilled over your shoulder, clean and untamed. You should get going but where? 

Studying? 

_ Meh. _

What are the others doing?

_ But what if he is there too? _

Since when does it matter?

The sun glittered on the ice flowers carved on the window’s glass, shards of light reaching into your pupils. Deciding to write back home, you hopped off your mattress and collected a bigger parchment, some ink, and a fluffier quill playing in royal purple. Absolutely unbothered, you kneeled by your bed to position the parchment under a wide book on the bed before opening up your ink bottle. 

Your lines were little messy, thin slants making their way on the yellowish paper in varied sizes as you explained what happened on your first ball. Starting from the very beginning, you chronologically maneuvered between the events taking place, handwriting a slipping into less and less tidy cursive as you neared Ellie. Pausing for a second, you wondered how detailed you should be before you shook your head, going on without thinking about it again. You told the tale as it happened, not leaving out Kookie’s injury or your behavior against the Hufflepuff girl. If there are repercussions, you should probably face them as none of the adults in the castle will ever know. Reaching the point where you found Taehyung, you started to mull over how your mom will react. Will she be glad? Does she dislike him, as you did over the summer? 

By the time you finished the letter, your mind was cleaned blank. You told her everything that was on your mind. Even the questions regarding her opinion. You asked her to ask your dad. Because you didn’t know what you should do. 

Picking yourself up from the floor, you quickly pulled on the clothes you had on yesterday before the ball with some boots, not minding either your hair or anything else. Rolling up the letter and sealing it off with a charm, you left the room swiftly behind you. The common room was busting with life, games, and conversation floating around as you sped towards the portrait hole. It irked you how you were half expecting someone to call after you, but when it didn’t happen, you felt relief and irritation at the same time. 

Clearly not in sync yourself, you marched through one corridor to the next, heels slamming into the stone floor with more force than necessary. Step after step, staircase after staircase, you started to lose steam as you neared the Owlery, ears burning and your nape a bit sweaty under the weight of your hair. A freezing wind blew it away the second you stepped out to reach the gray tower, small glassless windows scattered in an orderly fashion over its surface. Crossing the threshold with your arms wrapped around your midsection, to blinked up at the dozens of birds above you, some asleep and some eyeing you curiously. 

Glance resting on a particularly white owl, you pondered for a second before it hopped away from your eyes, clearly refusing. 

_ Alright then. _

Calling over a darkly colored tawny owl, the bird immediately took off, landing carefully on your extended arm, talons flexing and reflexing on you as he balanced. With your free hand, you secured the letter on, fingers barely brushing on the scaly leg. Molten gold eyes blinked at you as you told him the exact address and your mom’s full name, but the owl didn’t take off then. 

_ Maybe he wants to be let go outside. _

Spinning around to move outside, you could’ve sworn the bird leaned closer to your head, almost  _ sniffing _ at you. Can owls smell? Just realizing how you should actually know the answer to that, you paused to wonder whether  _ you _ could smell anything when you were in your animagus form. The owl maintained eye contact, somewhat fascinated before you raised the arm he was resting on, offering him a cue to depart. 

Feathers tenderly brushing on your cheek, the bird took off, wings extending widely to match the horizon as he started to grow minuscule within seconds. It called back, the noise long and kind as if it understood you. You stared at it fly away, not minding the cold as much as you would’ve before. In the back of your mind, you knew it was because your form was warming you, even if you wouldn’t say it out loud. With only a few pieces of clothing, you stood in the chilly December air, hair whipping back and forth as the wind played with it, the apples of your cheeks a bit blood rushed, but otherwise completely fine. 

About to turn to leave, you heard the door open, probably another student wishing to write back home. Collecting a long inhale, you willed yourself to go when a voice caught you off guard, the deep, raspy bass raising the fine hairs on your arm. 

“Y/n?”


	12. Chapter 12

A mug of hot chocolate occupied your hands for very long minutes now, the thick liquid slowly losing its scorching heat as you practically ignored it for its original purpose, holding onto the weight of the thick cup with unmoving fingers. You would be fiddling around if not for the mug, so you chose not to drink its contents to extend the time of your seemingly calm posture. 

The elves were going on with their business as they usually would with the makeshift table they whipped up, weighting under the various treats and snacks they placed between your knees and his. Much brighter than the last time you were there, strong yellow fires flickered in the space, making the shadows each of you produced dance around on the stone floor. 

You should be saying something. Talking. But as you picked at your brain for an opening sentence, an easy, kind topic to divert the attention from the nervous tension lingering around the space you two have created, you couldn’t voice any of them. Not because you didn’t want to or believed it was the wrong thing to say, but because you had no idea how to break the ice. What is the best way to get this over with without being blunt?

_ Dad would know. He wouldn’t even think about it. _

Almost releasing the sigh ready to fly from your lungs, you continued to stare at the nearest fireplace, the phenomenon more engaging than the simple stone wall beside you. 

“Do you hate me?” He asked, voice much more strong than you expected it to be. 

“No.” You shook your head. “I don’t think I ever did.” 

“I gave you reason to.” 

“You gave me reason to hate her. More than I can count, but I don’t think you gave me any to hate you.” 

“I didn’t keep in touch.” 

“No, you didn’t.”

“I didn’t tell her to stop.” 

“No.” 

“And I didn’t correct her statements.” 

“No, you did not.” 

“I didn’t write when you injured yourself during the summer.” 

“But you remember I did.” 

“That is not the point."

“The point is maybe I don’t have it in me to hate you, no matter what you did or didn’t do.” You released the sigh, carefully seizing him up as you glanced in his way from the fire. His expression was blank, hand laced around his dark blue mug, just as full as yours. Torso supported by his elbows on his knees, he leaned in, ruffled hair hanging around his eyebrows. He started to chew the inside of his cheek as he listened to you, unsatisfied. “What were you expecting of me Taehyung? To yell at you? To dump every bad decision you have ever made on you to make myself feel better?” 

“Sort of, yes. I deserve it.” 

“You do… you did. And while I don’t hate you, I cannot say I’m not… what is even the right word for this? I’m not angry, not exactly. This whole thing you created here, that angers me. I can’t be angry  _ at you _ because you have been suffering more than any of us. The look on your face when you were standing there on that stupid staircase and telling me you miss us… You made yourself go through all  _ that _ , whatever you wish to call it, and for what? But I just can’t blame you for it! How could I? The most I had in this was putting up with her erratic, idiotic behavior every once in a while while you were with her all the  _ Goddamn time! _ ”

“You are frustrated.” He offered you the word softly, nodding to himself in confirmation. 

“Probably, I don’t know.” 

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“See, that’s it. That’s why I can’t blame you or hate you!” You forced yourself not to raise your voice, the sudden realization making your pulse quicken. “I don’t want to be the reason for more harm! I am so  _ done _ with all this pain making its rounds, I have had  _ enough of it! _ You have no idea! Do you know you broken Kookie was when you didn’t come to Christmas last year? Jimin, when his patience ran out with her and destroyed an entire practice room? Jin hating the idea of loving a girl because he didn’t want to disappoint us, leaving us behind? All this misery because of one selfish, self-righteous little girl who thinks she is the center of the universe. I will not be like her, I  _ will not _ .”

“Y/n, she… she didn’t intend for this to…” 

“I don’t care what she  _ intended! _ How could she not see how she sucked the life out of you by shutting you in this stupid fantasy of hers? How could she justify the things she was saying when the sole reason for all of it was her?”

“It wasn’t just her.” He shook his head, locks bouncing on his head before he locked his gaze with yours, unnervingly steady. “I had just as much part of it. I let her, I didn’t try to shut it down.” 

“I don’t care Taehyung. I’m going to hate her and dump all this on her until I forget her name and her existence.” 

He blew out an exhale, raising his mug to take a long sip. Quiet resting between you and him, you were irked by his words. You just couldn’t accept them, there was no room in you for them. You didn’t even allow a second to mull over it because, in your eyes, it didn’t matter. She was the villain in this story and you wanted Taehyung back as before. This attitude didn’t allow you to accept his way of owning up to his behavior. 

“I thought you would hold me accountable for every word she has ever said to you. Well, not directly to you, but you get it.” He murmured, thumb moving on the smooth surface of the mug slowly. 

“I thought you would be hanging out with the boys, mending broken ties the first second you can.” You let your not-so-hot chocolate down on the table, picking up a pastry instead. You haven’t eaten yet, missing the first meal of the day completely. The vanilla cream brimmed on the edge of the bite-sized piece you tore off, picking it apart with your fingers rather than your teeth. 

“I did have breakfast with them, but you didn’t come down, so I thought I’ll send a letter to your room.” 

“Did you sign the letter?” You tilted your head, the memory of Christmas morning making it’s way to the front in your mind as you rolled the crimson threads between your fingers. 

“As if you couldn’t tell by my handwriting.” He allowed himself a small smile, eyes fixating on his drink. 

“Can I ask you something?” You asked directly, still watching him. He nodded towards the floor, only tilting his chin up enough to see you from under his lashes. “Why did you send me a present? Did the others get one too?”

“No, I didn’t send them anything. I got you that sweater because you looked tired before the break, and if I get tired, I get cold too. So I figured it might come handy.” 

“You didn’t sign it.” 

“Did I need to?” He swallowed his grin in a lip bite, suddenly feeling proud about the gift. 

“No… no, you didn’t.” You agreed, soothed to be on the page as he was. “Sometimes I still can’t understand you.” 

“Sometimes I don’t understand myself either. But wouldn’t it be awfully boring to understand everything all the time?” 

Since the conversation shifted from Ellie the tension has diminished. Much easier to breathe, the thoughts turning into words on your tongue. The sweet taste of vanilla lingered in your palate, the mellow scent gifting you with the sense of Christmas you didn’t really feel yet this year. 

“Do you like it?” He asked, a hint of satisfaction in his tone. He knew what would you say, but he wanted to ask nonetheless. 

“Apparently. Thank you.” You glanced down, the soft texture sliding on your skin as you readjusted on the flour bag you have been sitting on. 

“Can I ask you a question too?” He placed his jaw on the palm of his hand, balancing his elbow on his knee. He didn’t look up until you agreed. 

“Shoot!” You leaned in a bit, hooking your index finger in your mug’s ear to exchange the cool vanilla for warm chocolate. 

“Why didn’t you fight her?” 

Huffing at the turn of subjects, you took another sip before you breathed in to answer him.

“I didn’t want to. Part of me wanted to take the high road, but then again, she has such a… it’s easy to want to slap her. I’m sorry if that is too much for you to hear, but it’s true. But what got me is how she diverted things to turn the way she wanted. Anything that happened, whatever anyone said to her turned into a stupid argument she could use later. Like how I was not speaking for weeks. It honestly had nothing to do with her, at all, but she still managed to get a grip on it and try to bully me or cause me to lose house points. So what good would have it done to entertain her?”

“You are saying this as if she wanted you to do it.” 

“Didn’t she?” 

“Would you believe me if told you she was scared?” His tone dropped in volume, eyelids flickering before he regained a bit of his composure. 

“What was she scared of?” You asked back, listening to him with all the attention you had. 

“I think she was scared of me not loving her. Having to share a bit of that with someone else. Sometimes she asked me whether I love you or not. Whether losing you guys was too much or not. I think she was scared of how unbalanced it was and when will it turn on her. I think she was scared of you because you showed no sign of fighting back.” 

“What did you tell her?” The things he said stirred up emotions in you you wanted undisturbed. Things that girl should never go near, let alone talk about. 

“Not much.” He replied, almost nonchalant compared to your racing pulse. 

Wordlessly accepting his answer, you processed what he told you. It made sense for him to believe it, and he was probably right about most it. But the way she attacked you in the courtyard, there was nothing scared about her even though she must have known she had no chance in a duel. 

“How are you holding up?” You quietly asked, not elaborating what you mean, but you hoped he would understand. 

“Ah… I’ve been better.” He dryly chuckled. “To be perfectly honest, I never thought it would end like this. I still don’t see how did it happen.” 

“The slipping up part or the cheating part?” You winced at your own question, finding them harsher than in your mind, but he didn’t seem to mind, honestly thinking about it.

“Slipping up was just plain stupid. Who brags about something like that? But the actual...deed? Yeah, I just… I’m glad I didn’t do anything I might regret. But…” He blinked, looking away from you suddenly. “Y/n, we are okay now? Can I…” 

“I don’t know what do you have in that head of yours, but go on.” You pulled up your knees as you let your back rest against the bags of wheat behind you, getting comfortable as you furrowed in your shoulder for better support. The sweater hugged you as he hoped it would, in his stead. “What’s on your mind?”

“I… I have this...You won’t get mad at me, right?” 

“No, I won’t.” You shook your head, finishing your drink with a satisfied hum. 

“Good.” He nodded to himself again. “I’m not sure how to describe it, but with all this freedom and relief… I feel so empty.” He paused, his tone snapping you out your comfort. He sounded so pained your throat tightened automatically. “Hollow, purposeless. The last few months felt lonely, but somehow now it’s worse. I don’t know how to be your friend again, but I don’t have her anymore either. It’s stupid, I know it’s stupid, and I don’t want to see her again. The castle can be big enough, right? So why… why do I feel like I’m mourning someone? Why am I sad because of her?” 

The more he said, the more he crumbled, folding into himself on his seat on a wooden box. You were tense from the first admittance, got to your feet by his first question, and sat down on the floor beside him as he gasped for air. His palms were attached to his eyes, fingers running into his hair, lip quivering as he went on. 

“Why do I feel miserable with or without her? Why would she hurt me like this? She got everything she asked from me, more than I intended to give! Why…” 

“Taehyung.” Gently pulling on the wrist closer to you, he let you hold onto his hand, whining a bit in reluctance. “Who told you not to mourn?” 

“Wh-what do you mean? You hate her!” 

“Yes, but this has nothing to do with me. Why do you think you shouldn’t mourn your first relationship?” 

“Because she wasn’t faithful, she wasn’t kind, she wasn’t… so many things I wanted her to be.” His hand trembled faintly as he tried to keep it together, tears still not spilling. “Why wasn’t she, Y/n? Why?”

“I don’t know Tae. But I’m sorry.” 

“Do you think she is?” He looked at you, his free hand still tangled in his locks. 

“No, I don’t think so. She might be sorry for hurting you or for letting the truth slip out.” 

He bowed his head a bit, numbing as he soaked in the words. Fingers holding onto yours more tightly, he breathed in, steadying himself. 

“I’m sorry for hurting you. Kookie, Jiminie, everyone.” 

“Apology accepted.” You laced his fingers through yours. “And I’m sorry we didn’t do anything either. We could’ve stayed beside you.” 

Shuddering out an exhale, he accepted your words silently. 

“You know… this is the second time in a day we end up like this.” He forced out a smile weakly. “Me like this and you comforting me.” 

“I was wondering when will you bring that up.” You offered him a small grin, shifting the atmosphere again. 

“Your phoenix is really beautiful. Fits you well.” 

“You realize you asked me whether I’m the Headmaster’s pet?” Chuckling lightly, you watched as his expression changed to something lighter, brighter. 

“It made sense, okay?” He softly laughed, the sound like a soothing balm. “I couldn’t figure out what was a magical beast doing there, let alone why it was staying with me.” 

“Well, now you know!” You grinned up at him. 

“I saw you before Jin.” 

“I know, he will scold me for that.” 

“Do you like it? Being an animagus?” He slid off the box he was sitting on to stay on the ground with you. 

“It’s only been a few days. But it is very… rewarding. I love flying.” 

The tender smile on his face was almost painful to look at, so honestly kind as you tried to explain how it was when you had wings instead of arms. The topic was comfortable, distracting, but at the same time, you never talked with anyone about what is it like to be an animagus. Life was busy for a fifth year and with the ball and everything in between the present and the day you first shifted, there was no time to pour all this experience out. 

He listened, all this attention on you. Thumb circling on the back of your hand, you spoke for long minutes, unbroken and comfortable.

_ How I’ve missed this. _

“Do you control the flames? On the feathers?”

“Meh, involuntarily.” 

“What does that mean?” He barked out a laugh, earning a few appreciative glances from the elves. 

“I think they are emotion-based. If I’m mad, they are bigger, if I’m calm, they are smaller. I haven’t had time to test it out yet, but so far that is my conclusion. The more intense the feeling the bigger they stand.” 

“Ah, I see. You must have been calm yesterday then.” 

“Mmm… I think focused would be a better word.” 

“And Kookie?” 

“What do you think? A thunderbird and he was already controlling his powers on his first shift. I was still on the ground with no idea what is what and he was up in the sky, calming the storm like second nature. He is something else, that kid.” 

“A true Fawley indeed.” The Ravenclaw nodded, pondering about something before he continued. “What do you think, how mad is he?”

“At you?” 

“Yeah…”

“Looking at the whole picture… probably a lot. But he wasn’t yesterday, so I don’t think you should prepare for the worst.” You noted kindly with an easy smile. “He was worried about you. And probably hates Ellie more than any of us.” 

“Even Jin hyung?” His eyes flickered to you, the slightest hint of humor playing in them. 

“Absolutely.” 

“That is something I guess. Jimin told me what happened…exactly last night.”

“What about it?” 

There was a pause as he weighed his options on what to say. Taking the time to rearrange your legs from their crossed position into fanning them out on the cool floor with your knees touching the ground, you let him think about it. 

“This is so… “ He slowly let the words roll off his tongue as if he was still trying to figure out whether he will regret them or not. With his face towards the far off wall, he stared at it, burning holes into it in refusal to face you. “Part of me wants to joke about it. Take the edge off. But it’s frightening. How she just thought of going straight to you and attack you head-on. I didn’t believe she is capable of such things, she never said anything to… And she actually hurt Jungkookie. There are so many things going on and I just don’t know how to voice them properly, but I’m sorry for what she did.” 

“I’m sorry too.” He looked at you, confused. “For allowing her to cut Kook. It would’ve been so simple to pull up a Shield Charm, but I didn’t bother. I thought there is no need. But don’t be sorry about her… decision. We would’ve never known to search for you if not for her and I really needed to…” Realizing what were you about to say, you stopped, reconsidering your wording. “...give her a piece of my mind.” 

“How bad was it?”

“Didn’t Jimin tell you?” 

“He said you were, and I quote ‘More of a Hufflepuff than she was’. I have no idea what that means.” He muttered evenly, searching your expression. 

“Huh… Yeah, well. Okay.” You were a bit stunned by the description. It was a very Slytherin way of speaking because, on one side, it made no sense, but on the other, it perfectly painted the scene. “So I threw her outside, away from then. Jimin took care of Kookie while I put a Body-Bind Curse on her while I threatened her never to touch Kookie or hurt anyone again. I think that is basically it. I might have damaged some roses. But I didn’t hurt her. Well, besides throwing her, that might have caused a bruise. I asked her a few times where did you go, what did she do to you. She was really… deranged, we thought, I thought she might have…” 

“Nothing much besides breaking my heart.” He chuckled mirthlessly, the sound so sour and paper-thin, more breathy than deep. “Okay, she broke a few decorations too while I broke up with her. Nothing of importance.” 

You snorted, shaking your head at his words. 

“I have no problem hitting you every time you disrespect yourself Taehyung.” 

“At least someone cares?”

“Guess I’m hitting you twice…” 

“Switch up the hitting with hugging?” 

“Fine.” 

“I’m counting on it.” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! ^.^  
Fair warning: I uploaded this during my lunch break without my spell check extension(which saves my behind more times than I dare to acknowledge), so please turn a blind eye over any potentially painful mistakes.

The last Sunday before the end of the Christmas break was nearing its eve, night already blanketing the castle in a thick midnight blue. A couple of days after the ball and only a few hours away from the first class of the new year, you decided to let out some steam. Finishing up every assignment you had while simultaneously trying your best to understand everything your teachers demanded of you has been taxing enough to allow yourself one last day to be not so productive.

Most of the day was spent with Kookie and Jin, leisurely spilling around comfortable couches in the warm common room with the fire cracking as a backdrop faintly filling your ears. Most of the students were falling short on time with their homework, leaving the common room unusually deserted as the student body who has not been fighting against the mind-numbing amount of research, practice and scribbling has moved to the library to battle their demons. It would have been a waste not to indulge on the empty seats and left-over Christmas sweets. Talking and eating was the most you have been doing all day, reaching the weirdest of topics and consuming an unhealthy amount of chocolate, let it be in solid or liquid form. The boys even did a run to the kitchen to arrive back with deliciously filled sandwiches and only a half a dozen cinnamon rolls.

It was pure comfort, if even for a few hours. Once the Gryffindors started to pile back in, you had to cut the laying around short. Kookie left to hang out with a few of his classmates while Jin simply said he wants to read, leaving to his room with quiet steps. You looked after him, eyes sinking into the broad expanse of his back with a pout appearing on your expression in dissatisfaction.

With both lions gone, you decided to check what the others were doing, practically begging not to stay near anyone who wants to study. Or talk about studying, that was just as bad if not worse.

Quill scratching on the yellow parchment, you voiced your need only to wait for a while. Almost reaching the dreaded result of not getting a reply, small scribbling appeared and you grinned to yourself in satisfaction.

_Time to work off that mountain of dessert._

Quickly changing into something more fitting and flexible, you pulled on a long white shirt with short sleeves on over a thick pair of black leggings, slipping into a soft leather boots that have been used more times than advice would argue. Not bothering with your usual cloak, you strapped on your wand to your bare arm, the slit by your wrist keeping the handle close to your pulse. Flying down to the common room and exiting before anyone could call out your name, you were already jogging on the near empty corridors. Fires illuminated your path as you turned, snaking your way the fastest route you knew to the practice room that was your destination. It was probably just before dinner judging by some conversations you passed, a few people hissing at your underdressed state. But what was underdressed for them was just right for you. An extra layer would probably coax a thin layer of sweat you did not wish upon yourself before earning it the right way.

Reaching the desired door, you wondered whether he has arrived already. Probably nursing just as much hatred regarding anything related to putting more information in your brain, there is a high chance he was already in there when you sent out your plea for a partner to kill the last few hours of freedom you had. Turning the knob with a quick flick of your fingers, a barely lighted classroom welcomed you, only a few torches flickering above your head in deep orange hue.

Something sickly yellow landed a mere step away from you, the jinx charring the hard wood floor in warning.

“Oh, so that’s the way it is.” You muttered, fingers tracing the thicker end of your wand, but not freeing it yet.

“You are late.”

“You didn’t set a time.”

“I thought you were bored.”

“I was. Not anymore though.” Humor slipped in your tone as you closed the door, the deep bass of the hinges begging for oiling. “You are in a mood.”

“I’m tired. And bored.”

“Oh, how uncomplimentary of you. Here I thought I’m going to be the entertainment.”

“If you are running late, you should have at least put on something sensible.”

“Wow, sensible and Gryffindor.” Taking a lazy step toward the windows, you kept eye contact, fingers wrapping around your wand as you slowly pulled it out of its leathery cage. He eyed it with an unamused expression, but without blinking, a bit of his guard still very much alive. “You must have lost a few bits of sanity while getting ready for your classes.”

“Says the one with only a shirt on in December.”

“Yeah, well. You would be more mad if I took the time to put together an outfit, would you not?”

You only had a split second to raise your right hand, the nonverbal counter spell producing a thick layer between you and him, a purple flash bouncing off in a whiplash. Slashing again upward, you conjured a jet of water aimed just at his torso, but only a few droplets reached his sweater.

“What is making you warm, hm?” He took a step towards you, edging into your right side tauntingly.

“I’m sure you don’t actually need an answer to that.” You hummed, thinking of transfiguring something around him to surprise the Slytherin.

“Probably not, but confirmation is always nice.”

He swished a wide ribbon of red, the color painting the whole room around you before it deflected into the wall beside the door where you threw it.

“What’s up, did something happen?” You queried, a little fazed by his tempo.

“No, nothing in particular.” He paused for a minute, glancing ahead of him as his hair fell into his eyes before he looked back at you. “You?”

Lowering your wand, you watched whether he would humor you to have a talk instead of a dueling session. Yoongi just began to roll the magical object between his slender fingers, balancing and twirling it with ease, eyes not even following the movements.

“I just wanted to get away from the studying.” Sitting down, cross-legged with the windowsill behind your back, you produced a glittering mist from your wand, just for the fun of it. “A little break before tomorrow.”

“People just can’t seem to manage their time, right?” He mulled, expression mostly neutral, but his eyes were kind, small shimmer of a smile playing in them. “The dungeons are full of moaning and pleading. I bet Flitch loves it.”

“Jiminie is right, you make stuff sound dirtier than they are.” You chuckled.

“Maybe.” His voice cracked a little under his grin as he stared at the door. He took up a spot right beside you under the window, both feet planted flat on the floor. “It’s not intentional… every time.”

You laughed out loud, the sourness of his humor tickling you pleasantly.

“What do you think, will she bother Tae?”

You have been wondering about this for a few days now, but never really found the right outlet to it. Kookie would be too fiery for the conversation, and Jin wasn’t easier on the topic either. In the back of your mind, you wanted to talk with Joon or Yoongi, but didn’t want to steal time from the sixth years while they were trying their best to keep up their grades and still find time to hang out with everyone.

Until a certain Slytherin shared your need to get away from it all.

“I really hope not.” His head lolled from one side to the other as he tasted the idea. “But then again, can I expect a fish to climb a tree?”

“Sure, if it’s thrown.”

It was his time to laugh, the motion twisting his face shut with strain as nearly no sound left his open mouth.

“We can look after him…” He tried to regain some composure. “…if it comes to that. I’m sure the Ravenclaws will express their thinning tolerance as well.”

“I wish there was a spell to just shut her up.”

“There is, care to learn it?”

“Does it come with a highly obvious colored flash?”

He grinned even wider, shaking his head.

“No, _Muffliato_ is very stealthy. As it should be. It doesn’t exactly silence her, that’s _Silencio_ and you should have studied that in… maybe this year? Those two are sort of a reverse of each other.” You shrugged, not familiar with either spell. “You’ll have it in Charms. So, you up for it?”

“Let me just summarize this for a second: we are here because we want to get away from the studying, but now you are offering to teach me two new spells.”

“You are turning down the precious knowledge of your elder?”

“14 months does not make you my elder!”

“What has the world come to…” He shook his head, chin a little tucked in to his throat to hide his laugh.

“Yoongi…”

“Hm?”

“Teach me.”

“You sure?”

“I think I might need it.”

“Buckle up then little lion.”

\-----------------------------------------

The first Monday morning of the new semester started out as a blur. Even though you were on time to classes with all the necessary assignments rattling away in your bag, it felt like you were hurrying through the day, nervous energy bouncing around your system in a rapid beat. If someone were to ask you about your breakfast or even your lunch, you couldn’t say what did you have, nor did it matter. A strong unity rose from all professors that morning, all of them demanding more practice, more papers, more effort, and the lingering sense of dissatisfaction curled in the air as the students shrunk with every passing class.

You thought you had it together, performing charms, jinxes and hexes between a potion brewing and endlessly taking notes, but the pressure of it all reached you too. Your limbs grew tired, mind numb and head heavy before the sun kissed the horizon on the other side of the frosty windows. By the end of the day, all you wanted to do is take a lightning-quick scorching hot shower and fall into blessed sleep. All that was between you and your scarlet sheets was Transfiguration and dinner.

Professor McGonagall decided to cherry pick certain spells she believed to be part of this year’s OWL curriculum, giving out varied tasks between each student. Some had to change the colors of something on their partner, some had to turn insects into different species, some had to change the consistency of the given object they’ve got. At least 5 different spells were at use, soft murmurs and sighs scattering in the general buzz of the class with your professor roaming between the desks silently.

Facing the small, but very cute statue resting between your outstretched arms, you let yourself a few more moments of peace before plunging back into practice. You knew _Draconifors_, you knew how to perform it, but the memory of the spell was more alive in the back of your mind than your current self. Your Head of House let you be for now, but her eyes weighted on your back a few times now.

It was an odd arrangement, the one you were in. When the Ravenclaws showed up in a united unit for class, you were somewhat surprised, but the growing ache in your back under the weight of your things dictated most of your attention to yourself. When Tae greeted you softly under his breath, his tone tired too, you just nodded back as if it was perfectly normal. In a sense, it was. It took you a good two minutes until your slow brain caught up with the situation, realizing how this was your first class with him since… the morning after the ball.

Not like you didn’t meet since the talk in the kitchens. No, you hang out a few times in the Astronomy room with the others, went walking outside in the snow, peaking at the Durmstrang ship and eavesdropping a bit by the powdery blue carriage. One afternoon all of you walked as far as possible without making Hobi moan at the cold, reaching a spot on the snowy hills where the castle wasn’t as close so you and Kookie could shift with easy hearts. Taking turns in giving the boys rides in the air, snuggling up to Yoongi to warm him up.

You have seen Taehyung plenty of times.

With the others.

Without everyone else staring.

It was an experience to walk to your usual spot only to have him shuffle in beside you quietly, effectively making the Ravenclaw girl sitting beside Marietta to sit somewhere else. But none of the blue-clad students said anything. Cho offered you a nod and a gentle smile to the boy sitting beside you, quietly conversing about the holidays before McGonagall started her class.

Only half way through the session you realized what his classmates were doing: glancing around the room, there were only blue robes around you. As a small dot of crimson in the sea, the Gryffindors were sitting near the walls and the back, and before you drew breath to ask a question had the penny dropped.

“Miss Fawley, would you please try again?”

Your professor’s voice snapped you out of your haze, hand instantly jerking for your wand to flick it to its rightful place between your fingers. You could feel her eyes weighting down on you as you took a breath and focused back on the tiny dragon-shaped black figure weighting down your portion of the desk.

_“Draconifors!”_

For an unusually long second, nothing happened. The spell was cast, the room was quiet and you could hear the professor towering above you draw in breath to potentially to add more homework to the gigantic pile you already had when the black material stirred, surprisingly blue eyes blinking a few times in practice before the small magical animal rolled to its back to stretch out like a cat.

“Very well.” McGonagall shifted her weight, strolling towards her desk. “I would like to ask the students finished with their work to raise their hands to receive new assignments!”

A few students raised their hand with you, almost a dozen piercing the air and the professor collected her remaining props to distribute them.

“Ah, Mr. Kim. Right, well, you should practice with Miss Fawley then. Change either eye color or hair. If you have any questions, please ask. I’ll undo the castings at the end of class.”

“I really am not in the shape to fiddle with your eyes, honestly.” You said the second she was out of earshot, making the Ravenclaw chuckle under his breath. Both of you turned a little towards the other, torsos twisting. “Are you willing to give up your hair?”

“At least it grows back?” Tae joked, more at ease than you would be in his stead. “Can I do your eyes?”

“Sure.” You shrugged, confident in his Transfiguration skills. It mostly didn’t make sense how Taehyung was good at such a subject. He always had explanations for difficult things that made less sense the task itself. But McGonagall found his ways both amusing and to be rewarded for, so you guessed she gave the assignment with him in mind instead of you. “Do you have a color in mind?”

“Hmmm…” He hummed deeply, gaze flickering around you as he pat his lips with one index finger. “I think I would go for purple. It’s not that far from blue and I think it would look nice. Like a marriage between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.”

_Like a… what?!_

“Oookay…” You breathed in a bit, trying to mentally slap yourself more alive. “Any requests?”

“No, not really. Do whatever you want.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

_At least one of us will be._

“Go first,” He commanded, and you dutifully raised your wand, thinking of a color to change his hair.

[_Blonde_ ](https://data.whicdn.com/images/329933835/original.jpg)_, [brown](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/24/99/32249990d55caca669ff075a0f146b7a.jpg)… _

He didn’t choose a natural color though.

_What about green then?_

He is not a Slytherin…

_But mint [green](https://data.whicdn.com/images/327246584/original.gif)_ _. Airy and fresh._

It’s a hair color, not perfume.

_Light, powder [pink ](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ab/fe/2a/abfe2a14a948fccfaebc8e43fdaa8ac7.jpg)_ _is nice too…_

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, almost whispering as he genuinely searched your expression, curious.

“Ah, just a color. Trying to choose a color.” You blinked, a bit intimidated.

“And?”

_Jesus, let me breathe._

“Aaaand I just can’t choose one, because I think a lot of colors are nice, and there is some I have never seen as a hair color, but maybe you wouldn’t like let’s say orange, so…”

“You think I can pull off orange hair?” Bits of laughter colored his question, a grin threatening to pull his lips.

“Why not? But then again, green, mint green, or pink, maybe [silver ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f9/9f/b4/f99fb4d215f85f85e945baaaa043da97.png)or…”

“Those are a lot of choices.” He smiled, hiding his laugh perfectly behind a polite smile.

“Yes, well.” You placed your left arm flat on top of your desk, right wand at the ready in the air. “Then I’ll just pick a shade randomly.”

“Okay.” The polite smile remained in place as he raised a bit of his shoulders, both elbows supported by the furniture around him as he waited patiently.

Concentrating too hard on the color, you automatically moved your wand to produce the change nonverbally. The black locks slowly let go of their dark complexion to turn more intense by the second. Rich [hue ](https://biaswrecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/7be689fb3aab53849067dbbda182f920.jpg)taking over the loose strands, the tips barely shying away from his eyebrows.

Sucking in an inhale at the sudden change, you didn’t know whether you are in need to swallow back a yelp or support yourself with regular breathing, the growing tension around your vocal cords intense, but what you did know is how to do was smacking you elbow into the back of your chair, hence producing both of those things.

“Hey, are you okay?” He reached out instantly as the uncomfortable numbness crept up to your shoulder, a sharp sting pulsing in the middle of your limb.

“Y-yeah…” You muttered, trying to avoid attention as he seemingly forgot about what you just did to him. “Need a mirror?”

“Oh, it’s done?” His eyes rounded a bit, fingers instantly brushing into his locks as he tried to pull a few strands to the front so he could see. “Whoa… You did not hold back.” Lips curling at the revelation of his very _very_ blue hair, Tae offered you a wide grin, happiness oozing out of him.

“A once in a lifetime opportunity to color your hair whatever I want for house points and you thought I’ll just let it pass me by?” You joked half-heartedly, the words jumbling in your mouth as you massaged your hurt elbow. You were reaching your limit for the day, the yearning for your bed more intense with the throbbing pain in your arm. “It actually suits you really well.”

“You can color my hair anytime, really. This looks nice.” The Ravenclaw found himself in the mirror placed in the front left corner of the classroom, fluffing up his vivid blue locks with glee. “Jimin will love this.” He turned back to you, not missing your stare, looking expectant. “Thank you, I’ll try to do just as good with the purple.”

“Oookay, go ahead. Just don’t poke them out.”

“I would never!” Softly chuckling to himself, he cracked his head one side and then the other, the bone popping loudly in his neck. Rolling his shoulders back, he leaned in a bit, almost uncomfortably close as he stared right into your eyes. A tinge of anxiety bubbling up in your stomach, you did your best to stand your ground, fighting back the urge to throw back your seat a good step or two as you felt his breath reach your cheeks. “Did you know you have bits of green in there? Like newborn leaves.”

_Who says things like that?_

Remember to breathe woman.

“Nope.” Stuffing down the screaming girl in the back of your mind to oblivion, you could feel your palm develop a cold sweat, exhaustion (_yeah, right!_) cajoling a bit of a quiver. “I thought they are more grey than anything.”

“Mmm… well, not for long.”

Hesitantly nodding at his reply, you watched him draw away from you, allowing you to breathe more easily. Slender fingers carefully holding onto his wand, he shifted his hold on the object before rolling out the incantation on his tongue, barely above a whisper. His face was more blank than anything else, focus sharpening his gaze as he watched something happen you had no view of.

“Hmm…” He mulled, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy.

“What? It didn’t work?” You blinked at him.

“Oh, no. No, it did work. Rather well, if you ask me.”

“So why the look?”

“Nothing. I just sort of… hope you would just keep it.”

“Huh?”

“Students!” McGonagall cut through your conversation like a knife, coaxing all attention to her. “We are nearing the end of class, so please present your work by my desk. Partners come in pairs. I’ll give each of you an individual assignment to practice. Next class we are going back to the Vanishing spell, please keep that in mind.”

Your classmates shuffled to their feet one after the other as they took turns to get an evaluation, leaving the rest either to try and finish up in time or take a break. You were about to ask Tae about what he said when the Transfiguration professor reached “F” in her list, calling out your name. Both of you stood, making your way to the desk McGonagall was sitting behind, her spectacled eyes on your pair before you reached the end of the path between the desks.

“Miss Fawley, I believe this is your doing.” She pointed to the boy’s blueberry head of hair, the owner grinning happily with a raise of his eyebrows as he laced his fingers together behind his back. “Nice work. Did you choose this specific shade?”

“I knew I was going for blue. Not dark, not too light, but I didn’t have this color in mind exactly.”

“Did you have one at all?”

“No, not really.”

“Alright. I suggest you practice producing very specific things. It doesn’t have to revolve around colors, just know exactly what are you manipulating into what. If you can manage 4 out of 5 times, you are done. Mr. Kim…”

“Yes, Professor?”

“You decided to choose eyes I gather… same question, did you know the specific color?”

“Yes, Professor. I was aiming for lavender petals.”

_Lavender’s have petals?_

“Splendid. You are good to go then.”

She dismissed you with a small flick of her bony fingers, already calling out the next name. You made your way back, plopping down in your seat disheartedly to take note of your new assignment. Even though she complimented your spell, she wanted you to practice more. You should be grateful for her acknowledgement, but you couldn’t honestly be happy about it. Sort of hoping not to get any homework in Transfiguration bit back in a slightly nasty way.

“What do you think is for dinner? I feel like I could eat a horse!” Tae stretched in his seat next to you, mind far away from your worries.

“No idea. I want to go back to the Tower.” You sighed, dropping your chin into your palm supported by your desk. “OWL’s are going to kill us all.”

“It’s not that bad. You did a good job!”

“Yeah, well apparently I need more practice.” You murmured bitterly.

“Y/nie, don’t be like that. You’ll get that 4 out of 5 under a night. I can help you if you want to. My hair is at your disposal.”

“You’ll go bald under an hour.”

“I’ll ask Jiminie to brew a potion for me then. I bet there is something like that out there.”

“Looking at Snape, I highly doubt it.”

You could hear him muffle his barking laugh, his head shaking a bit as he hid his face under his locks on the edge of your vision.

“Wait, wasn’t McGonagall supposed to…”

Class ended in that precise moment, not letting you finish your question under the noise of everyone hurrying to the Great Hall. He got his things in his bag before you could blink and tugged you out to the corridor, his Ravenclaw classmates swallowing you up in blue. Trying to keep up with the pace Taehyung dictated, you held onto your bag, very much aware of your legs screaming for mercy as your surroundings turned from the first floor to the staircase leading right to the entrance of the Hall. Passing the threshold of the warmly lit space, you drifted off from the blue-clad group with soft bye’s, Taehyung’s hand unwrapping from your arm. Sliding behind the Gryffindor table by an open spot on the benches, you let your bag fall off your shoulder, not bothering much with it. Ready to plant your face in the still empty plate in front of you, you barely held back.

_What was that? _

“… for lavender petals.”

_What._

“...hope you would just keep it”

_What is going on with him?_

Painfully remembering how he drew closer to stare at you, you shuddered at the memory.

_What is going on with me?_

You could feel your bag slipping off the bench beside you to the floor, but when the impact happened a shy breath away from your ankle you merely kicked it between your feet so it wouldn’t be in the way. Face cast downwards with your fingers running around your cheeks into your hair, you just let yourself breathe for a bit.

_Mondays are such a ... _

“Well well well, someone had a day.” You could hear Jin’s laugh from the end of the table, his voice growing louder backed up with his sure steps. “What did you do this time, hm?”

He settled down beside you, the rest of the sixth years leaving him behind with a few goodbyes. Sensing a more stable presence near, you automatically shifted your weight to the right, falling right on the unsuspecting lion.

“Whoa, okay. I hope you don’t want me to feed you too.”

“Nah, this is good enough.” You muttered, eyes closed as he adjusted a bit to make it more comfortable.

“OWL’s got to you?”

“Something like that.”

“Something else got to you too?”

“Maybe.”

“Do tell.”

“Will you drag me up to the Tower?”

“If it’s that good, I might. Bridal or over the shoulder?”

“I honestly don’t care at this point.”

“Mmm, wonderful. Glad you are not wearing a skirt though.”

“Jinnie…”

His shoulders moved as he silently laughed at his own joke before he shook you more awake. Looking around for the reason, you noticed the food arrive, various meats side-dishes and soups wafting their scents languidly. Choosing the easiest option, you poured yourself a good amount of tomato soup, generously adding cheese bonbons and croutons before dipping in your spoon for the first taste.

“Is sixth year going to be this… lovely too?” You asked the boy beside you, genuinely interested.

“No, it’s not as bad. I don’t have classmates running to the bathroom crying. Less stuff, but more complicated.”

“Wonderful.” You hummed, finding the soup more delicious than your appetite would’ve determined.

“Do you need any help?”

“Besides hoisting me up at least seven flights of stairs?”

He giggled again, cajoling a smile from you too.

“Yeah, besides that.”

“No, I think I’m good. Pride a little hurt, but that’s to be expected I guess.”

“Wait… Y/nie, did you just have class with Taehyungie?”

“Yeah, why?”

You looked up at him, not seeing where he was coming from. Seokjin was staring ahead of him and some of the students at your table too. Actually, it wasn’t just Gryffindors. A good population of the people inside the Hall were either stealing glances at Taehyung or stared in a very comical and straightforward way.

"Yeah, about that.” You began, pointing with your spoon. “McGonagall was supposed to undo our Transfigurations, but she let us go without it, and I’m guessing, but I think he wants to keep his hair like that.”

“Honestly… it does look nice.” Jin awed before he snapped his attention to you. “You said Transfiguration_s_. Y/nie… what is yours?”

“What do you mean what is mine, I did his hair.” You frowned, taking another slurp of the gooey tastiness in your bowl.

“Okay, splendid, what did he do?” Jin queried, bit of impatience bouncing in his words. You just looked him in the eye, pointing to your lashes dramatically while chewing on a bit of goat cheese stuck in your gums. “Whoooa, are you keeping it? Please say you do!”

Shrugging, you just checked where Tae was sitting. It shouldn’t have been such a surprise to see a few people standing around him, at least two girls touching his hair as if he were the cutest pet or most interesting plant ever. Even a few Beauxbatons girls were eyeing him with interest, gracefully joining in the conversation.

“I think it will fade in time. I’m not sure when, maybe it’ll be gone by morning.”

“Mhmm… I wonder...ah, there we go!” Jin clapped his hand together in anticipation.

“What?” You looked up again, not sure what he was talking about.

“Find Rickett. And then look at Jimin and Yoongi. I swear, they have a point system.”

“What are you talking about?” Anxiously looking around, desperately trying to find a certain blonde head in yellow robes. The Hufflepuff table was far away enough you couldn’t just spot her within seconds and Jin had to help you, his long index finger jabbing through the air for you to finally notice her. She was standing on her feet, aimlessly walking at a pace even a snail could take over, face blank as a fresh sheet of parchment. The two Slytherins in question was much easier to locate, the pitch black and ashy blonde standing out familiarly to your eyes. Their stares were glued to the same spot, Yoongi’s wand at the ready for more.

“Did they confuse her somehow?” You drew your brows together, not able to recall such a spell.

“I guess Yoongi used the _Confundus_ Charm. And if you ask me, Jimin did a Slowing Charm just before, so Yoongi could aim more easily.” Jin held his chin between his extended fingers, gently brushing.

“Won’t they get in trouble for that?”

“I highly doubt anyone even noticed. She was aiming to go to Taehyungie anyway.”

“Are you serious?” Your voice naturally raised in volume, angered and startled at the same time. “On what grounds does she have any…”

“None, obviously.” Jin huffed. “I heard the Ravenclaws were on the lookout for her all day. I reckon it’ll take a while before she can even say hi from a distance.”

“Yeah, they moved like a wolf pack. It took me at least half of Transfiguration to figure out what was so strange.”

“I swear, the best would be for him to get a normal girlfriend to shake her off for good.”

“Why, you think someone else would stop whatever insane is inside her head?”

“Meh.” He pulled up his shoulders in reply only to let them drop again. “And to make him happy. He was so… broken after the ball. When your house elf said she can’t completely heal him I felt so guilty for being mad at him.”

Nodding slowly, you didn’t know what should be the appropriate thing to feel. It was soothing to know so many people looked out for the Ravenclaw, even if it felt a little… excessive to charm the girl probably multiple times a day. But that only indicated how many times she probably tried to worm her way to Taehyung. Against his very vocally stated wishes. Part of you wanted to laugh at the impossibility of it all. How things can change, how easily lives shift.

“I wonder whether McGonagall regrets not undoing your work.” Jin went on, turning a bit to the teacher’s table.

“She will if others start doing it too. Or maybe not. She could choose to see it as us diligently practicing for OWL’s. But I’m sure Jimin’s method is better for your hair than this.”

The two of you went on, quietly exchanging thoughts between bites. You poured yourself more soup, finding your hunger awakened by the first few spoonful of the warm meal. Soon the food vanished to be replaced by dessert, but you didn’t get any. Sleep crawled all over you, leaving your hand and feet cold and your head heavy. Blinking away a few teary yawns, you were ready to leave the Hall when Jin was done with his meal.

Slowly getting up again with your bag in one hand, you felt the boy’s hand on your back, gently guiding you to the stairs. Huffing at the towering steps, frustrated with the extra workout, Jin seriously offered a piggy ride, but you turned him down. You were not a first year anymore to just jump on his back like a kid.

It felt like forever to reach the portrait hole, the Fat Lady’s jab at your sleepy expression not even registering until you reached the stairs to the dorms. Jin pat your head before he watched you go, only leaving to his usual spot under the furthest window from the fireplace after you have disappeared in the turn of the staircase. Reaching your door, you shut it tightly after you in hopes of being alone until you fall asleep. Placing your things down and robotically undressing, you left everything in a pile by the foot of your bed, leaving it for tomorrow rather than bothering with it now.

Cold silvery moonlight touched your bare shoulder as you yanked down your long sleeping shirt over your head before quickly crawling under the thick sheets as you shuddered at the bite of the cool air around you. Grabbing onto the only open crimson curtain around your bed, you hesitated for a bit. Instead, you pulled out a very specific parchment for reading purposes only. Tapping your wand to the upper corner, long inky lines bled out in different styles of handwriting, new ones appearing by the lower end.

_YG: So how long will your hair stay like this?_

_TH: A few days, tops. But we can make it permanent, what do you think?_

_JN: Dear Merlin, please. I really like it._

_NJ: It won’t be difficult to find you ever again, that’s for sure. _

_HB: As if we ever had such problems :D _

_JM: No, Joon is right. We have to keep an eye on Taehyungie. _

_JK: Did someone see Noona?_

_TH: She was pretty tired in Transfiguration. _

_JM: Wait, she did your hair?_

_TH: Yeah, we worked in pairs. _

_JN: Kookie, I think she is already asleep. I helped her to the girl’s staircase a good 10 minutes ago. _

_JK: Oh, okay. Thanks. _

_NJ: Do you need help with something?_

_JM: What did you Transfigure on her?_

_JK: Not really, I just didn’t see her all day. _

_JN: He made her eyes purple. And she can pull it off too. _

_JM: What??_

_YG: Oh, I’ll check it out tomorrow. _

_HB: Whoaaa, Taehyungie stole the show from her at dinner!_

_TH: No, it wasn’t like that!_

_NJ: He is just joking Tae, it’s okay. _

_JN: You did a really good job. I hope she keeps it for a while. _

_TH: Thank you! I told her that too, but I doubt she remembers. _

_JM: Why?_

_TH: She was really really tired. I thought she might fall asleep in class. _

_HB: It’s to be expected. It is OWL year, and she works for top grades… _

_YG: I just hope she reaches out if she needs any help. I’ll get angry with her if she will cry in the bathrooms too like every other fifth year. _

_JK: Don’t be angry at her for that! _

_YG: Why, I don’t want her to cry over something we help her with. _

_NJ: I’m sure she knows that. _

_JM: Yeah, me too. _

_JK: You guys make me scared for next year…_

_JN: Psh, it will be a breeze for you._

_YG: Agreed._

_HB: Me three._

_JM: Way to put more pressure on him. _

_TH: We’ll help you, it’ll be fine. _

Rolling back up the parchment, you carefully hid it in your cabinet’s top drawer. Their conversation bounced around in your head, mixed feelings straining on your mind as you thought about it. The pillows hugged you heavenly, but maybe the slightest, thinnest cushioning would feel amazing after such a day. Curtain too far away at this point to reach, you simply flicked your wand, the small movement yanking in the thick red material easily. Darkness fell inside your nest as quiet enveloped the room again, easing your attention away until there was nothing left. The warmth swallowed you up whole and you let yourself fall into the abyss with a forgetful heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you could choose only one hair color, what would you choose for Tae?


	14. Chapter 14

A lingering peculiar feeling was weighing down on your mind. It wasn’t pleasant nor disturbing. It was just…_ there. _

The heavy wooden chair rounding behind your back was growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing hour you have spent in it. The constant murmuring and scratching noises weren’t exactly nice, but easily mutable if you were willing to shift your attention away from it. Even then, it magnified sometimes enough to bother you. Your hands and feet were too warm, despite the cold, most of the students around you heavily dressed, while you were only wearing your summer robe with a simple black shirt under it. Eyes cast at nothing in particular, you stared at the glass windows, somewhat spaced out. 

It was a brilliantly sunny day with barely any clouds on the sky. Painfully perfect blue against the bony treetops and the muddy grounds, too early for spring to hint the greenery of grass blades and for leaf buds to bloom. An occasional pile of snow littered the brown nothingness, just a reminder of how pretty it was not too long ago. 

A part of you was sour about the weather. Bright rays shined through the windows to light up the table you were sitting at, the library beautifully welcoming to offer the best conditions to have a productive time in there. 

Maybe that was your problem. 

How dare the weather offer you such a gift. 

If you were supposed to live through a few hours of misery and scribbling, why not have a thunderstorm outside? Something to match the dreadful activity. Not this..._ prettiness. _

Your foul mood was not dignified with a lot of things to do either. It wasn’t like you had mountains to move or river long assignments to finish. On the contrary, you were mostly done. Rolls of parchment stood out from your leather bag like fresh baguette would if you were in France. Which you weren’t. 

_ What an odd thought. _

No, you only had McGonagall’s assignment left to practice specific alterations. Hence why the monumental pressure to carry on with your homework was scarce for you while the others in your proximity worked diligently. 

_ Well, not exactly. _

Kookie left about an hour ago having much less of a workload than the rest of his friends. You gathered he wanted to wait for you to finish, but you were still neck-deep into your Herbology assignment, so Jimin shooed him off to play while he had the chance for such luxuries in the castle. With the remaining 5 people you stayed, not quite ready to Transfigure the apple you picked up this morning to practice on. The pale green fruit seemed ripe, a faint scent of sweetness wafting to your nose since you placed it in front of you, earning Hobi’s attention from the other end of the table, but he didn’t ask for it yet. Just casting a few glances in its way, you were about to roll it in his direction when movement caught your attention. 

It wasn’t the action itself that was interesting, but the proximity of it, just on the other side of the bookshelf behind Jimin and Taehyung. The Slytherin and Ravenclaw pair was going over homework they seemed to share, exchanging parchments and making comments softly under their breath, and just above Jimin’s cool blonde locks, something moved. 

_ Someone. _

A flash of anger torrented through your limbs as you pulled both of your hands under the table to free your wand from its straps. Not yet 100% sure, you tried to find solid evidence to support your growing pulse. Just behind the boys, someone crouched down, black and yellow disappearing from where moments ago you spotted them. Which could be completely innocent, just someone looking for a book around there. Books are not always at eye level or higher. There are shelves down there too. 

_ But… _

There was fretfulness, an urgency to how that person ducked. Either your fried mind was coloring reality around you or you knew who that was and why was she there. 

“Y/n?” 

Yoongi’s low whisper came from the left, just loud enough for you to hear. 

“Hmm?”

“Why are you acting like a trained dog ready to hunt a deer?”

“Not quite a deer.” You murmured, catching an eyeful of blond coming through two taller books just under Taehyung’s elbow. “Badger.” 

“Wha…” The Slytherin was lost for a beat or two before a bouquet of mismatched cursing erupted from him. “Don’t cast a Shield!” 

Biting back the Protection Charm on your tongue, you turned to the black-haired boy with impatience written across your face. 

“Merlin, you are as subtle as a hippogriff in a china shop. Stare at your apple, Y/n.”

Doing as you're told surprised both you and him, but there was no question Yoongi was better at casting unnoticed and unpunished. You could make out how he concentrated but missed the spell even though you were paying attention. 

"Is it done? Did you…"

"Shhhh!" He hissed under his breath as he dropped his chin, facing the bottom of his essay. "Hobi will notice and we'll be in trouble!"

Turning your gaze to the bare desk in front of you, you wondered what had just happened. Did Yoongi finish what you started? Was it really her? Questions buzzed in your mind making the outside quietness contrast with the loudness of the confusion in your mind. You lost your sense of time as minutes seemed to stretch into hours, but maybe it was just seconds brushing by? You didn’t want to draw any more attention to yourself, or worse, get thrown out of the library by Madam Pince. 

About to tear off a ribbon of parchment to scribble down a note for your Slytherin neighbor, a nicely rolled up piece of paper bounced in your direction. As it’s outer age drew out a half-moon shape between your elbows, you glanced to find the sender to face a very happily grinning Taehyung on the other side of the table. Eyes disappearing as his features reversed back to what he probably looked like when he was a kid, he pulled up his shoulders, giggling, motioning for the note. 

Holding the roll with two hands, you flattened it out above the tabletop, the sunlight making the ink bounce out towards your eye as the yellow of the parchment became lightly gleaming, the thicker fibers playing in mellow browns. 

_ “Did you do your Transfiguration hw? Because I’m done, and I would love to help! Or even if you did it, could you please color me? I have specific things in mind, I thought about it, so me and Jimin can keep score of how you did! But no pressure, you don’t have to. Do you want to? Please?” _

You stared at the scratchy handwriting, the onslaught of questions and thought running your way comically unarranged, leaving you a bit unsure. Not missing how Yoongi was still tense next to you, the mix of worry about a certain yellow-clad student and half-happy, half-confusedness about Tae’s overwhelming excitement stirred in your mind like a mismatched concoction. 

Unquirking your bottle of ink, you turned the note to reply. 

_ “Someone’s excited…? I didn’t do Transfiguration yet, but are you sure we won’t be thrown out? What if I change the books behind you?” _

Twisting the piece of parchment as you held it between your thumb and index finger, you made sure it was tight before flicking it his way. Caught mid-air, he grinned widely as he opened it up again, reacting to your lines with a nod and then excited wiggling, he sank his elbow into Jimin’s side. The Slytherin hissed at the contact, rubbing the tender spot before turning expectantly to you, a low smile lifting his expression. 

The two boys straightened out before Taehyung cast a charm behind him. 

_ “Protection!” _ The Ravenclaw mouthed your way and motioned towards his friend, who was holding up a piece of parchment with a big ink stain in the middle. Tilting your head at it in confusion, you looked at the boys before back to the stain and then Jimin again. 

Offering you a toothy smile, he tapped his wand on the parchment and the stain turned icy blue. The kind kids use when drawing ice, the hue you believe to see when glancing through an icicle under the morning sunlight. 

“_ That one?” _ You mouthed at the snickering Slytherin and he nodded, hiding his laugh behind his free hand as he bent over the table a bit. 

Practicing the spell in your head a few times as you pulled your wand up from under the table, your eyes danced between Tae’s dark blue hair and the parchment before pointing the end of your wand at him. The deep tone melted off to reach a lighter shade of [blue](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a3/46/83/a34683eae8841d776c1c40459b101fcc.jpg), but it wasn’t quite what the boys had in mind. Sighing a bit at the result, you could feel yourself tense up a bit while Tae was just blinking at you patiently. He glanced at Jimin, a question plastered over his face as he drew up his brows, lips parted and almost pouting. His best friend shook his head a little, showing three fingers. 

“Three out of five, that’s not bad!” Taehyung turned to you, whispering rapidly. “Try again!” 

Nodding a bit dishearted, you glanced at the splash of ink again, trying to carve the light blue into your mind. Winter skies and pale-colored petals danced in your mind, the slightly tinted old Volkswagen beetle parking near your home and one of your mom’s old washing rags she had since you were able to remember. Casting the spell again, the color lifted much [further](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b3/17/91/b317919ffd11d9d508339c2bd6356dc5.jpg), coaxing Jimin to nod at you appreciatively. The Slytherin held up his hand with all fingers extended, making his friend bounce a bit in his seat in celebration while you just exhaled, not as relieved. 

_ At least 3 more to go. _

The inkblot turned black, pure, untainted black before you knew it. Jimin wiggled his brows while Taehyung was still enjoying his new hair, holding up a small circular mirror to look at his locks. Not giving him more time with the unusual shade, you flicked your wand at him and watched in awe as black melted from the roots of his hair, extending all the way to the very ends curling around his ear to under his neck. A low whine slipping out of his mouth, he accusatorily [stared](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/77/97/9b7797b9a4fc47f0bc37c70cfc292d26.jpg) up at you and then Jimin, dissatisfaction screaming from him silently. 

Jimin bent over the table with his forehead touching the flat surface as he laughed, muffling the noise with both of his hands while Taehyung crossed his hands over his chest, clearly communicating how he wanted flashy colors instead of natural ones. If it were almost anyone else, it would be irritating how demanding he got, but at that moment, you were just happy. Life felt full again.

It took a couple of long seconds for the giggling Slytherin to straighten himself out, but once he did, he messed a bit with the ink stain under the table before showing it to you. You gaped and when Tae tried to see what made you so surprised, Jimin shoved it away, another fit of snickering coming over him. 

_ Madam Pince is so going to kick us out. _

You didn’t have to look around to feel the others’ curiosity draw their attention away from their own work, Yoongi outright clearing his throat in warning which caused Jimin to pull himself together, casting glances around with a trembling lip bitten between his teeth to see who was staring at him. Satisfied with his findings, he looked at you as he bit down on his victimized lip harder, motioning for you to do what he asked. 

Shaking your head at him in disbelief, smiling all the way before shutting your eyes, imagining it. This was much harder and you had to think about it for a long time before you could come up with images to help you. Clouds at sunset, punch cakes, clashing colored cotton candy. Swirling Italian ice cream cones. The last particular image stuck in your head for so long you could almost taste the cool dessert on your tongue melting away. 

Not giving it a chance to disappear from your mind, you quickly pointed your wand at the still unhappy Taehyung in front of you. The next second, the whole table sucked in astonished breaths while Jimin flung himself from his seat in silently screaming laughter. 

Air stuck in your throat, you were unable to comprehend what you just did and probably that was the reaction which made Tae nervous enough to hesitate to look at himself in the small mirror he had in his hand. Furrowing his brows just a tiny bit, he shut his lips tight before gathering up his courage to take a peek before the thinly pressed line morphed into a perfect ‘o’ as he gaped at his reflection. You thought he will truly be mad this time, so it drove you further into chaos land when he giggled in absolute joy, knocking back his chair enough to fly to your side and wrap his arms around your shoulder, effectively shutting down your mind, body and maybe time itself. 

_ Error 404, Y/n not found. _

“This is insane!” Jimin hissed, this fighting for air. “How did you curl his hair?!”

“To think he can pull this off too…” You heard Joon mutter from Yoongi’s other side. 

“I think that's enough for today. It’s fair to say she’s got the hang of it.” Yoongi murmured, a bit of irritation slipping into his words. 

“I can’t let him leave like this!” You looked at the boy next to you, still shocked. 

“Oh, yes you are!” Tae stared at you, suddenly back in his chair before you could notice him gone. “This is the best thing I’ve seen all my life!” 

“Are you out of your mind?” Your voice climbed higher than you wanted, but who cared anymore if you were thrown out or not. 

“I’m keeping it.” The Ravenclaw wiggled in his seat, too happy to care about anything. “I just need to figure out the curling part. What did you think of?” 

“Uh…” You blinked, trying to remember what brought this on. “Ice cream. The swirling two flavored ones. Strawberry and vanilla.” 

“Gotcha. Good. You went as far as shape, not just color. I think this one’s worth two tries, right Jimin-ah?” 

The boy in question just nodded vigorously, not quite over his laughter. Harsher pink coloring his cheeks, he offered you an eye-shutting smile before gathering his things in his bag. 

“Are you seriously keeping it?” You looked up at Taehyung, who was almost done with packing too while motioning for you to get started too. Not even thinking about it, you stood, flinging your leather bag’s strap over your shoulder, pulling out your hair from under it. 

“Yes, I am. The whole half and half thing is wicked!” He shook the curled [ends](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7c/ce/3a/7cce3ab01f7565b0a667a433b2d39348.jpg) from his eye while shoving his ink bottle on the bottom before throwing in his quills on top. Trying to get over it, you glanced at the others. 

The four boys remained in their seats, only Yoongi and Hobi registering your departure enough to offer a wave. Picking up the apple, you tossed it to the Hufflepuff who thanked you with a kind smile while Jimin shuffled behind you to reach Yoongs. They quietly talked about something as you passed the younger Slytherin to stand next to Tae, waiting for Jimin to finish and leave. It took a beat or two before he joined you, letting Taehyung snake his arms through by both of his and your elbow, guiding you out towards the corridor. 

“What should we do now?” He hummed under his breath, nodding at Madam Pince as you passed her. “Go outside? Astronomy room? How far away is dinner?” 

Glancing up at his blonde side, you just hummed non-decisively when something popped up in your mind. Twisting your torso just enough to look all the way back where you were seated, you noticed what you were looking for. Black robes with yellow, pale blond hair slicked back with a hairband. Eyes flashing to meet yours and you cringed at the contact.

_ Wonderful _.

\--------------------------------------------

You imagined it wouldn’t take long for her to find an opportunity to catch you. Not that you were avoiding anything, but you weren’t really on the same schedules. The times you did see her, you almost always had someone with you. You did have History of Magic with the Hufflepuff’s, but usually, Jimin picked you up to talk to Potions together, while the other classes with Hufflepuffs were Muggle Studies and Arithmancy, but she didn’t choose those thankfully to be there. Sticking with Divination ensured she would never reach you from the furthest Tower away from the Arithmancy classroom. 

Somewhat convinced Ellie wanted to find you and at least yell at you, you began to grow a little jittery. The thought of her staying that near to you in the library and listening to the whole conversation and study session you guys did for hours long was scary, however hard was it to admit. It took a certain amount of dedication to stick around for that long and you were not expecting her of all people to be able to do that. 

“Hobi…” You were walking with the Hufflepuff boy, accidentally meeting one morning to get breakfast together. “How do you reckon Rickett is doing?” 

“Aaah…” He hummed, tilting his chin a little higher. “Hard to tell.” 

“She is still following Taehyung around, right?” 

“What? She does that?” 

“Since school started back again, yes.” The boy shook his head, sadness weighing down his steps. 

“I wasn’t really aware of how she is doing I guess.” He hung his head a bit before looking at you. “Does that make me a bad prefect?” 

“No, Hobi, of course not. That’s not what prefects do silly.” 

“Since we got Taehyung back, I didn’t really think about her. She is still talking in the common room and does what she usually does. So I guess she is doing okay. Does Tae know she is following her? How does that even look like?” 

“I’m not sure. I just know the Ravenclaws are helping Tae, and…” Almost slipping out how Yoongi and Jimin were doing their own method to keep Ellie away, you bit down on your train of thought barely in time. “And remember the last time we were in the library? All of us?” 

“Sure. Apple day!” He arranged a smile on his expression, not quite reaching his eyes. 

“She was there, just behind Jimin and Tae. I think it’s creepy.” 

“What, the whole way?” 

“At least the last hour or so.” 

“How are you so sure?” He stopped in his tracks, just above the Great Hall, one hand on your elbow. His face was a bit more serious than you wanted, eyes scanning you closely. 

“I saw someone there after I finished with Herbology. I wasn’t sure who was it, be they were just crotching there and when we left, the three of us, I saw it was her.” 

“Did she talk to you?” 

“No, just stared at me. Last time I talked to her was after the ball before we shifted to find Tae.” 

“She saw you shift?” He quirked an eyebrow at that, clearly not approving. “Y/n, you guys are not registered yet, am I right?” 

“What does that matter, it’s not like we secretly learned to become an animagi. The paperwork is just not finished yet.” You grew anxious, not seeing how could this be a problem, but rattled nonetheless. 

“Y/nie, I’m not implying she is a threat, it’s not like she could write a letter to the Ministry about something they already know about.” 

“Then I don’t get it, why does it matter she was us shift?” 

“I don’t know, if I had to draw up a list of people who shouldn’t know about you and your brother, she would probably be on it. Top 5.” 

You huffed at his remark, not knowing what to do. The conversation planted further unease in your mind. It’s been weeks since the ball, January gone, and February nearing its second week. If she were to do something, you would already know about it.

_ Right? _

The answer came the following day right after dinner. It’s been a long day, as Mondays usually are, so when a small little lion approached you with parchment in hand, you didn’t know what to expect. A few minutes later, you were waiting right by Professor McGonagall’s room. It was dark, you felt tired and the nearing footsteps made you very nervous. The owner of them turned out to be Kookie, who looked just as surprised to see you there as you were. 

“Did something happen?” He asked in a hushed voice when he reached you. 

“I guess our papers are done? I don’t see why else would she ask for the both of us.” You murmured back, allowing the boy to wrap around you to seek warmth as a yawn slipped out of his lips. “Long day, Kook-ah?” 

“Mhmm. I was hoping to sleep as soon as I finished eating.” 

“Right there with you. I can’t wait to reach the Tower.” 

The door opened with a soft click and a very stern-looking Transfiguration professor emerged, motioning for both of you to go inside wordlessly. To punctuate her frustration, she closed the door with a bang, making both of you jump a bit. 

“Sit,” McGonagall commanded, rounding her table to take her place in her own cushioned chair, lacing her fingers together with both elbows on the tabletop. “I understand you have been shifting into your animagus forms. In front of other students.”

You weren’t sure what to say. Blinking at her, utterly confused, she drew in a breath to steady herself. 

“I had a visitor today. They have claimed to have experienced something I do _ not approve of. _ I want you to explain why did a student cry in my office this afternoon about being derogated and threatened by the two of you. With an _ exact _ description of your animagus form. _ Both of them. _” 

“Professor, I’m not sure…” Kookie began, his sentence hesitant and confused. “Do you think we have attacked someone? In our forms?” 

A chill ran through you as you slowly began to understand what was going on. The way McGonagall shifted in her seat and glared at the boy you called your brother you couldn’t decide whether you needed to throw up or crack up in anger. 

“Professor McGonagall.” You earned her attention, hawk-like eyes piercing through your being. “I wish to be very straightforward if I may.” Her eyes narrowed, lips pressing together into white lines, but didn’t indicate for you to stop. “If there isn’t a rule against it, I would be glad to take Veritaserum or have a Legilimentor search me because that is certainly not what happened. At all.”

“Miss Fawley, do not toy with such things.”

“I’m not. And while I do not know if there is such a rule or not, I am pretty sure I didn’t attack anyone but protect my brother when Ellie Rickett performed a Severing Charm on his chest while trying to attack me for Merlin knows what. And yes, we did shift in front of her, but that was only to find Taehyung.”

McGonagall’s nostrils widened at the torrent of sentences that stumbled over your mouth while Kookie stared at you in disbelief. He shut his mouth when your Head of House demanded an explanation. The next following minutes went by as you did a play-by-play from your perspective, Kook adding in his bits when necessary in a small voice. The Transfiguration professor listened with unwavering attention. The way she didn’t even blink before you finished made you wonder did she actually use legilimens on you or not.

“Well…” She drew away from the table, resting her back on her chair. “I am very disappointed in all of you. While I understand your...stance in the matter, you did fight on school grounds. Not a duel, but you did cast a Body-Binding Charm on a fellow student.” You gaped at her, but before you could defend yourself, she went on. “You did not call for a teacher, nor thought about it. You went into the wilderness in the middle of the night right into the Forbidden Forest. Mr. Kim too. 20 points from Gryffindor. Each.” Suffocating on her words, she didn’t let you regain your balance. “And while I am sympathetic towards Mr. Kim, 10 points from Ravenclaw for going into the Forest. For Miss Rickett, well… I’m going to talk to Professor Sprout and let her determine her punishment. Abusing a student, attacking three others, and then _ lying _ to a Head of House is quite a toll to pay.” She sighed, exhaustion showing on her for the first time. “I did not forbid you to shift into your forms, but I asked you to keep it a secret. And for good reason. The first time someone used this information was against you, maliciously.” 

“Professor…” McGonagall looked at your brother warily, barely turning her head in his way. “Do you believe what we said? Instead of her?” 

“I know you didn’t lie just now.” She noted dryly, taking off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. “To be perfectly honest with you, Mr. Fawley, I had my doubts when she came in. Her story was out of character and I remember her being… difficult when the two of you were doing your month with the Mandrake. Nonetheless, I expected more from both of you.” 

You felt sick. It’s been almost 20 minutes since you left McGonagall’s study, but you and Kook were still climbing the stairs towards the Tower. On one side, you were relieved. She believed you and the punishment wasn’t severe. But you loved your Head of House and to know she was disappointed stung more than you could say. However, on the side, you were tormented by queasy anger. Out of breath, wobbly legs and narrowed vision were your companions now.

“How did she dare.” Kook began as you reached another corridor, another end of a staircase. “How did she have the _ nerve _ to impose as a victim. She _ attacked you! _” 

“Did you see her face, when she told us she is disappointed?” You sighed with a heavy heart. “And yes, Rickett can burn in hell for all I care. Merlin, I want to know what will Sprout say. To think we got 40 points want me to believe she will get at least a 100.”

“You know Professor Sprout is not that strict. She will slap her wrist and be done with it.” 

“Meh…” You barked, remembering something. “There was this one time I saw her angry, so I’m not sure the Hufflepuff Head of House, of all people, would let her off the hook for attacking students out of the blue. If McGonagall adds in Taehyung’s part, she might have it worse. She loves him.”

“Professor Sprout?”

“Actually, both of them now that you’re asking. McGonagall has this trust thing about Taehyung I don’t really get, but still. He got 10 points off while we got 20.” 

“Each.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“Merlin, I hate her. Truly.” 

“I know Kook-ah. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” He sighed, wrapping one arm around your shoulder. “At least we were both in it. Our first misbehavior.” 

“It took us four years.” You chuckled dryly. “But I am sorry to make her disappointed with us. I wouldn’t care so much if it were…” 

“Snape?” 

“Exactly!” 

“Yeah, I get what you mean. I thought she will be angrier about the shifting thing, but seems like she was concerned for our safety first.” Kook huffed.

“She looked genuinely upset at that part.” You nodded. “I never thought about it that way either.” 

“Not like it worked. I’m glad we are close enough to Professor McGonagall for her to tell she was lying.” He paused for a minute, before going on. “Noona, I think we should tell Mom and Dad.” 

“I already did the morning after.” You sighed. “They weren’t...mad, per se. Mom was glad you are okay, and about Sibney fixing up the necklace with protection. I can give you the replies if you want to read them.” 

“Are they mad I didn’t write?” He eyes you nervously. “Wasn’t this basically lying?” 

“No, I don’t think so. There was a lot going on back then, I only wrote to them to pass the time.” 

“Pass the time? Was there a lot going on or not?” 

“I just.. the morning after, I was weird. I wanted to meet up with you guys but not at the same time. I didn’t know how to… be, I guess.”

“Because of Tae?” The boy blinked at you, understanding correcting his features. 

“Yeah, I guess. Everything felt like quicksand.” 

“And now?” 

“What about now?” 

“How do you feel?” 

_ Good question. _

\-----------------------------------------------

The following day was a blur. You remember people asking about how house points disappeared for every house except for Slytherin. You were aware of how the twins were stunned just as the rest of them, giving no explanation for the lions. You were aware of how none of the Ravenclaws had any qualms and how a few Hufflepuffs looked at their housemate with disappointment. 

Rumor had it Professor Sprout was very stingy all morning and a few eyes followed Ellie when she was called to her office early in the morning. Whispers took their rounds of her punishment, one wilder than the other. Some said she has to clean the greenhouses for a month without the elves’ help. Some said she was banned from the kitchens for the rest of the school year. Your favorite was cleaning the horse stall without magic until the Beauxbaton’s delegation left, even though you were sort of sure it wasn’t true. 

Thankfully you didn’t have Transfiguration on Tuesdays, so you didn’t have to face McGonagall. Herbology, on the other hand, made you anxious until Professor Sprout gifted you with 5 house points after you refilled your pot with fresh soil for your Belladonna you have been practicing on for your OWLs. She was soft-spoken to you and kind which you couldn’t appreciate enough. 

The whole day, your brother’s question bounced around your head. The way he said it, how the words came out of his lips, his expression when he said it. It was all running in the back of your mind during breakfast, while you were scribbling down notes, as you excused yourself to the bathroom. Before nightfall, you felt a stung of pain in your lower abdomen signaling you to visit Madam Pomfrey for your regular remedy for your monthly cycle. There was no hunger in you, so you just passed the Great Hall with slow steps, making your way to a safe spot you were sure nobody would disturb you in this hour. 

The Astronomy classroom was filled with all the pinks of the sunset. Mellow colors painted the walls and the lone floor, the glass ceiling giving you a full view of the late winter sky. Not really bothering with anything, you just sat down at first before giving in further and just sprawled out on the floor, arms apart with your legs gently extended next to each other. Your stomach felt swollen and heavy while your being hurt too. There was this clash of being overwhelmed with emotions and none at all, heart empty and mind echo-y. But then again… McGonagall disappointed, you got your brother in trouble with her. You are tired, studying is just so much _ pressure. _ But it could be manageable. It all could be okay, just a bag of goodies from your Dad away from being absolutely okay, if not for that question. 

_ What is wrong with me? _

_ Why am I so… unsure? _

_ I thought I’m… over this. _

_ Why am I not? _

It was too much one minute, bearing to pour over from your mind into a scream and then nothing at all, leaving you void and abandoned. 

_ Hormones suck. _

The cool surface of the floor grounded you as the ongoing cinema above you turned from pink to red, the sky joining in on the war inside your heart with crimson clouds gliding on a strong-looking wind. 

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since you’ve arrived but it felt endless. The silence wrapped around you until you were aware of your own breathing, the pace oddly calming you down. 

Purple decorated the room and your silhouette when you heard footsteps nearing. It was a bit early for anyone to come yet as none of the stars were visible, but then knocking came on the door and you had only a few seconds to gather yourself before a soft voice calling your name.

“Y/n? Are you okay?” 

“Yeah?” You turned your head to look at the intruder, honestly surprised by the mop of hair coming in and closing the door behind him. “What’s up?” 

“We thought something happened again. You didn’t come to dinner and after the stuff with McGonagall… I just wanted to make sure.” 

“Nothing happened.” You turned your head back, forcing yourself to steady your quivering insides. “I just feel little nauseous, it’ll pass.” 

You felt him sit down with his legs crossed right beside you, body turned your way as his expression danced into your vision. 

“Nausea? You should eat something, here.” He extended a hand with two napkin-covered sandwiches, probably courtesy of the elves.

“Wow, you had time to go to the kitchen after dinner and find me while the sun is still up? Are you a wizard or something?” 

“Ha-ha. No, I went to the kitchen right after Cho told me you left for the hospital wing after Herbology, so I got food and wandered around a bit before figuring you could be here. And I was right.” 

“No wonder you are a Ravenclaw.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you.” He noted before biting into a sandwich of his own. “Why are you all mopey?” 

“Can’t a girl a little… overwhelmed every once in a while?” 

“You mean like once a month?” 

You snapped your eyes in his direction, somewhat surprised at the comment. 

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I have a sister you know. At least you didn’t throw something at my head when I walked in.” 

“I thought about it.” You smiled as you took your first bite of the sandwich, your jaw clicking uncomfortably from the strain. “Thank you.” 

“No need. I have some chocolate muffins too.” 

“Dear Merlin, you are a saint.” 

He let out a bark of laughter, fighting to keep all his food in his mouth. 

“I wanted to say sorry too.” He mumbled after swallowing his bite. “You know, for the trouble Ellie has caused.” 

“I’m not sure she is done.” You let the apology pass you by. “You know she is following you everywhere, right?” 

“Not everywhere. And I’m guessing not anymore since she has detention right after dinner.” 

You hummed, noting how calmly he took it. It made sense for him to know, but you wouldn’t have guessed it left him content.

“It’s all over your face you know.” He added, mouth already full with another piece of his food. 

“What is?” 

“Your feelings.” 

_ O-oh. _

“What are my feelings then?” You mumbled, a little scared of the answer. 

“Ah, don’t be like that.” He put down his food as he unfolded his legs to stretch out beside you on his side, one arm up in the air. “My instinct tells me you need a hug. Come here!”

You turned your head enough to look at him fully with probably not the happiest of expressions, but he didn’t care. Plucking the sandwich from your hand, he pulled you in closer, or rather, he wiggled closer and you hesitantly turned to your side. Unsureness turned into wild nervousness in a blink of an eye as he snaked an arm under your neck and the other over your waist, his scent filling your nose as his hands rested flat on your back. With both of your hands between the two of you, you didn’t know what to do with them. 

“You really are warm.” He whispered above your head as he tucked in his chin close to your forehead. “Is this because your phoenix?” 

“I think so, yes.” You mumbled. 

“Does it hurt? Did Madam Pomfrey give you something?” 

“Yeah, it’s getting better.” 

He nodded, satisfied with the answer. 

As the velvety purple lighting grew into midnight blue, you slowly started to loosen up. Your back wasn’t as stiff under his fingers anymore and your breathing was much deeper than at first. He thought you fell asleep at first, but the way your hands stayed close to your body told him he was wrong. He wondered when will you change that particular arrangement, but didn’t say anything. Eventually, when he has worked enough, you will and all will be alright again. 


	15. Chapter 15

It was a morning like any other to you. Just a random Tuesday rolling in, a tad bit lighter than Monday, but far from the weekend. Wake up, make yourself presentable, wash your teeth, get dressed. The usual. There was nothing particular or peculiar about it. 

His morning, on the other hand… Well. 

Nervous tension was his first companion that morning. A lingering sense of panic creeping around his skin as he woke up, wide-eyed, covered with a thin layer of cold sweat. Breathing in deeply, he commanded his limbs to loosen up before looking around in his room. Instead of the rich reds in your sleeping quarters, his were a sea of royal blues. He always liked the color, noting how it probably calms his mind and soul, even though he wasn’t sure whether his mom told him about it or maybe Jimin? No matter, staring at the long and thick curtains right by his four-poster bed he could feel the nerves trickle into excitement as he went through his plan in his mind. 

Gently pulling the material away to fling his leg over the mattress, he wasn’t surprised to see the room still dark, the winter morning gently covering the castle with darkness before the sun showed up to brighten the horizon. While most of the room was echoing with soft snoring - well, there were some louder contenders - at least one candle was flickering alive. 

Softly landing on the pillows of his feet, Taehyung made his way to the bathroom quietly, only the swishing of his loose pajamas indicating the movement. Rounding near the door, his sleepy eyes landed on a very awake Roger Davies - he was reading something deeply, not minding his housemate looking at him for a beat or two. Shrugging, Tae slipped behind the door, getting an early start on the day. 

Silently bearing how the cold water felt on his skin, leaving a tingling feeling after, he rubbed his face in a towel, thoughts picking up in pace as he grew more awake. Every once in a while he glanced in the direction of a window, where a tall colorless vase was sitting right in front of the dark glass, a cool shard of light bouncing off the water inside. Seven blades of flowers sat in there, freshly cut with dew scattering on its singular big petal. Angelic white, all seven of them, but not for long. 

Quickly finishing up his morning, Tae stopped for a second to look at himself in the mirror. He looked a bit tired, the color in his hair a faded and worn-out. Tilting his head at the shape of it, he wondered whether he could imitate how you transfigured it. Maybe he should just do something on his own.

Making up his mind, he slipped out to pick up his wand. Not much has happened since he left, only a slither of light breaking its way free on the sky. Appreciating the view by his bed, he stared, only a for a little before scrambling over the pile of clothes he has left there last night to find his wand in the pocket of his robes. By the time he disappeared again in the bathroom Roger was eyeing the boy curiously, wondering on what could he possibly up to this early and this… excited. 

It wasn’t a rare sight to see the fifth year like this, in the past at least, but nowadays an excited Taehyung was enough to make the Quidditch captain raise his eyebrow. 

Slipping out from the warmth of his bed as he put his book down, folding it carefully where he left the pages alone, he was about to enter the bathroom himself when he heard not one, but two voices. 

“Let’s go over it again, just to make sure, okay?”

“Of course, Master! Dob-...”

“You can call me Taehyung, please.” 

“Alright, Master Taehyung.” 

“Good enough.” There was a pause, probably the boy sighing a bit before continuing. “Thank you for the flowers, they are just like I’ve imagined them.” 

“The lady was very delighted when I picked them up! She was very kind to Dobby.” 

“I’m sure, Granny always wanted a house elf. Maybe you should visit her more often.” 

“Can I, Master Taehyung?” 

“If you want to, sure. So, two flowers on each plate, right?” 

“Yes, one at breakfast, one at lunch, and one at dinner! Just as she takes her place by the table!”

“Are you sure you can put it on the right plate, Dobby?” 

“Yes, Master Taehyung. It is very easy you see, I just have to fulfill Master Taehyung’s wish!” 

“Is that what you concentrate on? Before executing something?” 

“Yes, Master Taehyung! That is what makes me most happy after all.” 

“Elf magic is something else, eh?” 

There was another pause, some giggling and overall, happy noises. Roger was just about to go inside when he heard Tae’s voice again. 

“Let’s leave the rest of the flowers here, I’m sure the others won’t mind. Just let me color them before you leave with the first batch.” 

“B-but Dobby can do that too. It really is no…” 

“I know Dobby, it’s fine. I want to do the change for personal reasons. Is that okay?” 

“Y-yes, of course. Master Taehyung is very understanding with Dobby…” 

“You are a tremendous help, Dobby. I have your beret ready when we are done today too!” 

“O-oh, but there is really no need, I’m just doing what I…Dobby deserves no presents…”

“Dobby, let me put it this way. It would make me happy to know you have a new hat, okay?” 

The Quidditch captain smiled on the other side of the door. He wasn’t sure he understood everything, but he had an inkling of what was going on inside. He hopped back on his bed, haphazardly throwing his legs under the cover to pick up his book again. Linking the excited silhouette of his housemate with the conversation he just heard, he chuckled to himself.

_ Maybe I should do something today too. _

\---------------------------------------------

Hours have passed since Taehyung has woken up, but breakfast was only reaching its maximum capacity. The Great Hall was bustling with students, Beauxbatons boys and girls filling up the Ravenclaw table again as they have decided to do so since they have arrived. Some of them noted on his new hair, while most of the Hogwarts students grew accustomed to his whims of coloring and shaping it differently on every other week. The French at least showed appreciation. 

He ruffled the black curls away from his eyes, gaze whipping to the doors in every 2 minutes, forcing himself to at least look normal while his insides were on fire. He probably wasn’t doing that much of a good job, some people were looking at him fidget, one powder blue-robed boy going as far as asking if he was okay in very broken English. Since he didn’t want to advertise the cause of his behavior, he just applied on a practiced smile, nodding. Elbowing into the table, he let his head drop on his knuckles, chin digging into the back of his hand as he glanced around. 

He was facing toward the Gryffindor table, as usual, his back towards the Hufflepuff side. He could make out the signature laugh Hobi made when he was astonished by something and Jin’s windshield sounds were noticeable too, so maybe there was something going on on the parchment? He didn’t want to turn around, but he was curious whether Jimin’s eyes were shut due to his giggling or whether Yoongi was showing his gummy smile too. It wasn’t safe to look behind his back, because you never know who might take up a well-positioned spot just behind him to catch his attention by accident. 

But it was safe to look at Joon. He was always safe, the older boy a corner of peace no matter the circumstances. Taehyung looked around, just his chin turning on his hand slightly until he found his blue-clad friend near the teachers’ table. He was reading something while he was trying to eat his breakfast without dropping it in his lap, with more success than less judging by a few spots blooming on his cream-colored jumper. It curled a smile on Taehyung’s lips to see him this clumsy, the cute side of the lanky student shining through his witty remarks and bottomless gaze. 

As if he could sense it, Namjoon looked up, finding his observer within seconds. A flash of concern colored his expression before he noticed Taehyung smiling, a gentle expression settling on his own. Quirking an eyebrow, he sent a silent question his way, but the younger boy just shrugged. Everything was fine, truly.

Up until he heard a voice he knew well, a burst of shrill laughter slipping into the Hall as the boy Taehyung recognized to whine out loudly.

“Noona, please...Stop that!” 

You must have been tickling him as punishment judging by the look on your face as you managed to whip your brother into shape as you made your way to your table, barely registering the looks thrown your way. Yes, it was loud and some were laughing with you as you disciple Kookie for foolishly stepping out of line. 

You looked happy, harsh pink dusting your cheeks as you fought for air, cackling at what you were doing. Much more rested now as you probably settled back into school life after the holidays, your worn-out leather bag flung over the benches where you found a free spot for the both of you. He was happy to note you were wearing the red sweater he gave you for Christmas, this time with a pair of light blue jeans under your black and red robes. It took you a moment to settle in, looking around the leftover food the Gryffindors didn’t finish already before you squealed in surprise. 

The voice was loud enough for the whole Hall to quiet down, curious glances turning their direction your way before they noticed what had happened. A few whistles whipped towards the windy sky above as the pair of flowers on your plate became the talk of the morning gossip and you were clearly flustered above them. A few girls huddled closer immediately, hushed voices canceling out how the twins cracked jokes about your mysterious admirer. 

Taehyung didn’t dare to stare for long, digging into his food busily even though he felt no hunger at all. It could have been cardboard for all he knew, but he shoved the buttered toast in his mouth so he could occupy himself with chewing while he could hear you ask Kook questions that put a smile on his face. 

“So…” A voice began across the table. “... it was about time, right Taehyung?” 

“Huh?” With the toast sticking out of his mouth, he looked up to meet Cho’s gaze, a triumphant smile etched into her expression. She laughed at the lame reply, shaking his head in dismissal. 

“It’s nice is all.” She murmured, twisting her torso to look at you again, but you didn’t notice. “A bit cheesy to pick today of all days, but I guess it’s something.” 

“Oh, I theenk itz vhery rhomantic!” One of the Beauxbatons girls noted, a satisfied look on her face. “She lookz pretty vheen she blushes.” 

A handful of Ravenclaw boys automatically nodded, not much because of your blush but to earn the good graces of the French girl, but Taehyung silently - and motionlessly - agreed with her. It was unusual to see you unbalanced and flushed, unsure what to think in the most adorable way. He was nervous this morning about your reaction, how you could possibly like it, or hate it, but seeing how shy you got just by a pair of flowers, he felt good about his plan. 

“Do liliez come in tzat color?” The Beauxbatons champion wondered, her head tilted to look at your plate. 

“No, I don’t think so,” Cho answered her. “Maybe they are Charmed to look different.” 

“Or Transfigured.” Taehyung corrected quickly only to realize his mistake a heartbeat later.

“Uh-uh. Transfigured purple lilies.” Cho grinned at the boy. 

“Comme c'est romantique!” Fleur sighed, rising from her seat gracefully, snapping all of the boys’ attention her way near and far. Even Tae blinked after her for a few seconds as he heard a few of his classmates' muttering on about how they could find flowers this time of the year. 

“How did anyone get a proper flower, let alone lilies in the castle anyways? All we have in the greenhouses are either poisonous, attacks you, or bursts puss in your face!” 

“Who knows, maybe Professor Sprout has a stash.” 

“Do you reckon she has some left?” 

“Not for you after you dropped your Screechsnap last week!” 

“I’m going down there, maybe I can get something before Potions.”

A good chunk of boys left in a hurry, an assortment of blues, reds, and yellows clashing in the tight space the golden doors provided to leave the Hall. Taehyung watched them with a low chuckle, glad he was able to inspire at least a few people before the first class even began. 

Slowly getting up from his own spot, he stretched towards the ceiling, weak rays of sunlight warming his chest as he groaned, a few bones popping back into place. It was time to leave for his first class, but not before glancing in your way again. 

You were holding up one of the calla [lilies](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/10/99/ac/1099ac5ed364b48c5c76702a072f1c39.jpg) to eye level, watching as the sunshine through the thick petal, rolling the stem slowly between your thumb and index finger. The tip of the petal dipped down gracefully, and you traced it with your free hand gently, mesmerized by something. Was it the curve? Maybe the texture? He wanted to know so badly. 

“If you are going to stand there and stare a second longer, it will be the most obvious thing in the universe Taehyungie.” 

Jimin’s voice snapped his attention away from you immediately, the petite Slytherin standing beside him with a blinding grin on his face.

“What are you talking about Jimin-ah? I’m just sleepy.” Taehyung bent to pick up his bag from the floor, adjusting the strap on his shoulder before making his way out between the benches. 

“Yeah, right. And this is my natural hair color.” 

“It suits you well.” 

The Slytherin beside him snickered, clearly amused. Leaving the Great Hall behind them, the pair began to climb the stairs towards the first order of business they shared on Tuesday mornings: Charms class. 

“Do you think she knows?” Jimin lightly asked, his smile pouring into his tone. 

“Knows what?” 

“About who sent her flowers, you doof.” 

“No, I don’t think so. Why?” 

“I would want to know if I were her! I just hope she figures it out today.”

Taehyung hummed, not really sure about the last part. Maybe he didn’t really think this through enough. 

“Do you think she wants to know?” The Ravenclaw meekly asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I think she should know,” Jimin answered firmly. “It’s nice to be loved, don’t you think?” Without waiting for a reply, he went on. “I wonder why those flowers though. Shouldn’t people give red roses on Valentine’s Day?” 

“Maybe she doesn’t like red roses?” It was painfully difficult to uphold a sense of nonchalance when he knew the answer to that question, but he couldn’t just say it. The words just wouldn’t sound right. Not to Jimin, not to any of his friends. Not after the year they just had. The year of pain he caused. 

“I don’t think there is a girl out there who doesn’t.” Jimin rolled the words out carefully, thinking about it. “But she seemed happy. Almost shy. Additionally, I think every girl in the castle wants one. I swear, even the Rosier twins looked like they would be happy with a flower.” 

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Tae replied offhandedly, his mind filled with the pressure of what would happen if you found out who gave you the lilies on Valentine's Day.

“Taehyung-ah.” The Slytherin boy stopped walking, just outside of the classroom they were aiming for. “It will be alright.” 

“What will?”

“Just… don’t stress about it, okay?” 

Not sure whether Jimin actually knew what he was talking about or not, Taehyung nodded, turning his heel to enter the classroom before Flitwick began his lesson.

\---------------------------------------------

After the morning shock, you thought the rest of the day would settle down, but the buzz about Valentine’s Day was still going strong by the time you reached Potions. Some Slytherins were trying to talk over everyone’s voice to be loud enough for you to hear who would be miserable enough to send you a flower of all people, but you didn’t pay attention to it. It wasn’t because it didn’t bother you what they were saying, but how some part of you agreed. Really, who would go as far as sending your favorite before even spring came, and it seemed somehow enchanted to you too. You couldn’t really place your finger on it, but there was something about those pair of lilies that was magical somehow. 

_ Who would do such a thing? _

Sure, the first second you saw them, you seriously thought someone sent it because they wanted to gift them to you. That someone might actually… In the tightly following second, you looked around to see who is laughing for pranking you. But even the Weasley twins were merrily joking away at the sender’s expense, so maybe it wasn’t a prank? 

If it was intended to be malicious, they really screwed it up, because suddenly every girl wanted a flower and you saw some boys fight their way outside to find something suitable to gift to someone before breakfast even wrapped up. 

_ So then what is this? _

You thought of your friends but didn’t find a reason why wouldn’t they just fess up and tell you they just wanted to do something nice. It would be right up Jinnie’s aisle, or Jimin’s now that you think about it. The boy did take you to a ball for Merlin’s sake. 

You made your way to the dungeons thinking that maybe you should ask the Slytherin. Even if it wasn’t him, maybe he knows who it could be? A few educated guesses, a hunch. Anything would be better than this weird uncertainty. 

The doors opened before Jimin could arrive, so you slipped inside, taking your usual spot by your shared cauldron as the dark classroom filled up with students. Snape was sitting behind his desk, face downcast, and arranged in a foul expression as he hunched over the tabletop. 

_ Huh, who hurt him? _

The Potions master slowly got to his feet, making his way up to the door to close it. As far as you could tell, it was still a bit early, but given how loathing his mood seemed to be, you were not going to tell him about that. A familiar blonde head popped up just before Snape closed the door with a bang, scaring a few students to sit more straight. 

“Hey Y/nie, sorry about that.” Jimin quickly sat down on the free chair beside you, breathless.

“It’s okay, you’re fine.” You whispered back quickly. 

“Today we are going to deviate from the classic curriculum.” The professor began, his emotionless voice booming from the back as he made his way back to his desk. “As I recall, there have been some..._ mishaps _ last year when you were working on your basic antidote solutions. In order to correct such mistakes on your possible OWL examinations, you will be practicing your antidote brewing on your own today. Here…” He motioned to a cauldron by his leg filled with a very pearl-like liquid bubbling inside, the fumes dancing in decorative spirals in the air above it. “...is the potion you will be making your antidotes for. I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out to any fifth-year student what _ this _ is. Get to it!”

There was a beat of silence and stillness until Katie stood to get herself a sample and then everyone scrambled to their feet as fast as they could. A good 5 minutes of patiently waiting and avoiding any pushing, you were back in your seat, pulling a cauldron near to you to start working. 

Antidote making was tricky business and without any followup lessons, it made you a bit nervous about where to start. Pulling up your book, you skimmed through the chapter talking a bit about them, but it wasn’t the full explanation since it was your fifth-year Potions book, not the fourth. Sighing a bit, you sat back, keeping your book open as you glanced around. Not many students were actually doing anything with their cauldron, messing with their notes and looking at their poison sample. 

_ Poison? _

The liquid inside did not look like a poison. The color was verging on light pink, the mother of pearl shine swirling inside as you picked up the sample to monitor it more closely. 

Snape thinks you should be able to tell what this is. It didn’t look awful or repulsive nor did it smell bad. It felt like a stretch to call it a poison. 

Unquirking your sample, you carefully tried to smell it from a distance as you fanned your free hand above the mouth of the glass. It smelled… sort of wonderful. Accents of linden tree flowers hit your nose first with the faint smell of the caramel brownies you made with your Dad every Christmas before you met Kookie. There was something lightly spicy underneath, something you didn’t quite recognize, but you knew you remember the scent from somewhere. But what could it belong to…

“Careful, Y/n.” You heard Jimin murmur under his breath. Quickly closing up your sample, you hunched under your desk as if you were looking at something on your cauldron, a mere distraction so you could look around to see what he was warning you about. You could see Snape’s boots not far from you, but they were changing directions towards the left, probably finding something to pick on that way. 

Pulling your torso up again, you glanced at your Potions partner. 

“Jimin-ah. Is this what I think it is?”

“What would that be, my dear Y/nie?” 

“Just to clarify, really. If someone were to… accidentally try this.” You rolled the sample between your fingers as you met his eye. “Who would the drinker fall in love with? The brewer? Or the one the drinker got it from?” 

“Technically speaking…” His face was blank as a fresh sheet of parchment, if not for the twitch in the corner of his lip with eyes drenched with coy playfulness. “...I would say whoever the drinker received it from. Pray tell, who do you want to slip Amortentia, hm?”

“Nobody, obviously. Just asking, if a fellow student here would just _ try _ it to figure out what it is… what would happen?” 

“Interesting debate.” The silvery blond pulled up his wooden spoon to stir whatever he had in his cauldron. “It depends on what you believe in. See, if the… poor student would think they got it from Snape, then surely…”

“Oh, Merlin, I hope someone will do it.” You chuckled as you got up, turning towards the storage cabinet to get yourself some supplies. 

“So…” You hopped down on your stool with the necessary ingredients for a Hate potion. It was just a hunch to produce the concoction, and since it is in your book, you thought it would be sensible to give it a go. As far as you could tell, Jimin was brewing a simple antidote for common poison, which was a safer bet, but you wouldn’t necessarily call the most powerful love potion known to wizards common. “...what do you think about the assignment?” 

“Sad?” He whispered back as he was grounding his bezoar in his mortar. “I mean, Charms was festive, Flitwick was teaching all kinds of cute spells and he seemed pretty happy overall. Sprout was nice too, she was giving out seeds to a quick grow plants that only produce one bloom. It was this Russian roulette of who gets what type, it was fun.” His face twisted as he put more effort into the grinding, his cheeks puffing up a bit in the tension. You bit back a soft chuckle as you started to put up your Mandrake roots, already halfway through your own prep. “But then there is _ Potions _, brewing antidotes for a pretty love potion. Who hurt him, honestly.” 

The way he echoed back your thought, you bit into your lower lip to steady yourself not to laugh out loud, sliding your done roots into the far corner of your cutting board. 

“What does it smell like to you?” You asked casually, truly curious. 

“Uhm… leather, bit like steamed rice cakes and uh…” He turned his head toward you, stopping his hand entirely to think about it. “I’m not sure. Something flowery. Maybe the flowerbed my mom has behind the house, I guess?” 

“That’s nice.” You hummed, throwing in your first batch of ingredients as you flicked a small fire to life under your cauldron. 

“You? Anyone I know?” You weren’t looking at him, but you could practically hear the way he wiggled his eyebrows at you. Shaking your head with a small smile, you saved your verbal reply. 

Most of the class passed like this, small bits of conversation exchanged between the two of you as you worked while your classmates commanded the attention of your professor in every five minutes. One of the Rosier twins produced a thick pillar of fumes, practically melting her cauldron while one of the Weasley twins threw something very combustible into Angelina’s potion which ended up producing puffs of light floating around much like fireflies. Snape was giving out detentions and took off points left and right to both houses for once, and didn’t have the time of day to scowl over your work this time. 

Potions was quickly wrapped up, students running to hand in whatever they produced to run off to lunch while Snape just sat in his seat, clearly dissatisfied and frustrated. Waiting for a safe pocket of time to slip your results on his desk, you let Jimin lead you down, placing his sample down before letting you near. 

“Mr. Park, what is this?” The Potions master’s eyes were fixed on the small bottle in front of him. 

“An antidote for common poisons, Professor.” 

“I see. 5 points for Slytherin then. At least someone made something gradable today.” 

This didn’t feel like the perfect time to hand in your sample, but you were already there. Not looking at the Potions master, you quietly sat your own glass down, turning on your heel immediately to fly up to get your things and get out, but you had no such luck. 

“Miss Fawley, not so fast.” With your back turned to him, you had the luxury to make a face before turning back to face your professor, his brows pulled up in distaste. “What is this?” 

He had your sample in his hand, the thick bottle green liquid almost black in his grasp. 

“It’s a… Hate potion, Professor.” 

“Why would you make a Hate potion in a class dedicated to antidotes? Did I instruct you to do such a thing?” 

“Well…” Pulling in a breath, you got ready for whatever was to come. “The task was to make something to counter the Amortentia we had as samples.” 

“So you brew a potion, not an antidote.” He quirked an eyebrow.

“I looked up what was available in our books and it said Love potions are countered by either the time to wear off or a Hate potion to make the person see the worst in the person they are infatuated with.” 

“I see… “ Snape hung his gaze somewhere behind you for a beat or two before flicking his wrist to signal for you to leave. 

You almost tripped in your robe as you tried to get out as fast as possible, holding back your breath until you emerged from the dark classroom. 

“Did he just let me go?” You looked at your friend, incredulous. 

“You did what he asked you to do, I don’t see what is wrong with that.” 

“Is this the closest I’m going to get to get him to acknowledge me?” You stared at the gently smiling boy, who just shrugged in reply. 

“Y/nie?” He asked softly a few minutes later as you neared the end of the dungeons. 

“Hm?” 

“What do you think about the flower you got this morning?”

“Oh, right! I wanted to ask do you know anything about them! It wasn’t you or the boys, right?” 

The Slytherin dipped his head to the side before regaining his composure. 

“Do you want it to be one of us?” 

“Now this was a full round of all questions no answers!” You chuckled lightly. “I don’t know who it is, I honestly have no clue. It’s very… specific, don’t you think?” 

“What is?” There was a hint of concern in his voice, still staring straight in front of him. 

“How I don’t remember telling anyone what my favorite flower is. I’m sure my Dad knows and I recently told Kook when he asked me - for you, I might add! But I don’t think anyone else in this castle knows. Why would they? It’s just a silly little tidbit of information, nothing of interest.” 

“For me?” Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, meeting your eye the first time since he started talking about this.

“Yeah, he told me you were nervous for the ball and been asking questions nonstop and he was apparently answering them.” 

“Oh, right. I never actually got you a corsage!”

“You wanted to get me a corsage?!”

“It looked like a nice touch okay? But you wouldn’t tell me the color of your dress, and I didn’t want to just take a huge guess on it! But Kook’s answer was so out of the color scheme I was thinking off, it threw me off course.” He rambled, and it was sort of endearing how he gaped at the ceiling how it all came back to him, long strings of words falling off his lips before he even thought it through what he was saying.

“See, you actually knew too. So it wasn’t weird of me to ask whether they were from you guys or not!”

“I didn’t say it was weird, I just…” He huffed, a bit crestfallen. “Do you like them?” 

“Of course I do! They are beautiful and I think somehow enchanted? There were times I thought it’s a prank, but as far as I could tell…”

“...it’s not.” Jimin finished, shaking his head. “Seokjin would have draw blood if it were, trust me.” 

“Like I wouldn’t.” 

A third voice joined the conversation, Yoongi making his way inside the castle with more sixth years following behind him. There were bits and pieces of dirt around him, so you guessed he just finished up with Herbology before having lunch. 

“As dreadful as a Valentine’s Day prank would be, I would like to see you two go off, murderous and all.” You grinned at the older Slytherin, but he just shrugged as you entered the Great Hall. 

“You think you would know if that ever happens?” He called after you, hand in the air waving as he and Jimin searched for an open spot by their table. 

Turning to the opposite end of the hall, you strolled slowly to the red filled table with ease, a bit light-hearted. All you had to do was ask Kook who did he tell about your preference and it would be solved. After surviving Potions without a hitch and Snape not punishing you for not following his instructions about antidote making, this average Tuesday was shaping up to a fine Valentine’s Day. 

You couldn’t see Kookie anywhere, so you looked for Jin, eyes trailing through the many Gryffindors on both sides of the long table filled with food until you found his wide shoulders almost by the teachers’ table. Quietly creeping up on him, you could see Joon and Taehyung follow you with their eyes before you stopped just behind the older lion, ready to pounce and shut his eyes with your hands. 

“Yaaah, what is this?!” He cried, before his form because as he cajoled a few snickers from the nearby people. “Flower girl, is this your doing?” 

“What, how did you know?!” You whined, dropping on your bum right beside him on the bench, defeated. 

“Aish, of course, I knew. Those two were watching you since you got in the hall, who else could you be?” He motioned for the two Ravenclaws sitting two rows of benches away. 

“Traitors.” You huffed, turning to face the table properly before you put your bag by your leg on the floor. 

“Aaaand here we go again!” Fred yelled from a few steps away from you, pointing at your plate where two perfectly cut, almost black purple calla lilies lay. His twin wolf-whistled as you felt your cheeks warm up again, caught off guard the second time today. 

“I’m guessing this means you will get two later at dinner too.” Jin nudged you gently with his elbow. 

“Y-yeah probably.” You nodded, not know what to do. It was a bit scary to believe someone was doing this out of the kindness of their heart, but if that was truly the case, it felt nice and flustering to get these flowers. Your ears buzzed as blood rushed in your veins faster than a minute ago, and you were feeling a lot warmer suddenly. 

“Jinnie…” You were just finished with pulling food to your plate, not really looking up at the older boy. “Who do you think is sending these?” 

“Ah Y/Nie. You’re so cute now, it’s amazing!” He patted your head as he laughed, nuzzling into the side of your head above your ear before sighing in a satisfied manner. “Who do you want it to be, hm?” 

_ Who do I… _

_ ...want it to be? _

The world tilted at the simple question. Your limbs felt alien as your mind catapulted into a different speed, white noise slipping in to cover everything it reached. 

“Wait, when did Taehyungie change his hair again? Did you have Transfiguration today?” 

“Wha… no, it wasn’t me.” You mumbled, barely holding onto the conversation. 

“He looks pretty good with this one too. What do you think, should I try to curl my hair too?” 

“Jinnie, you are the most attractive Gryffindor either way.” The reply slipped out purely out of habit as you looked in the direction you thought Joon and Tae were sitting, finding the pair pretty quickly. 

It was true, Taehyung had changed his half and half colored hair, but it was still curly. Much more natural than the one you gave him, it framed his features with gentle firmness, the dark curls moving easily as he was telling something animatedly to Namjoon. Both were laughing, the kind where your shoulders engage too, open-mouthed, and eyes shut. The younger Ravenclaw dipped his spoon into his food, taking a mouthful before he looked up straight at you through the crowd of blues and reds, a kind [smile](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/0b/20/cb0b20b30d000665b09f8b21922e4ee3.gif) making it’s way to you, taking your breath away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are feeling about the comeback on November 20th? ^.^


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, 3 updates in 4 days... I think it's safe to say I slightly went insane.

“I wonder when will they realize,” Yoongi muttered, a little exasperated. 

“Who?” Hobi wasn’t paying attention to his friend at all, his fingers guiding through his quill one sentence after the other on the essay he was writing. 

“You rarely involve yourself in other’s business, Yoongi-ah.” Joon murmured, equally occupied with the textbook he was researching from when he offered a look in the Slytherin’s direction. 

“I’m not involving myself in anything, just saying.” 

“Uh-uh.” Joon turned his attention back to the book resting in his hand. 

Silence settled back on their table, all four boys seemingly immersed in their own work. The sun was already ducking under the horizon as time tickled closer to dinner time, the library full of older students. There were some younger kids here and there, but most of the tables were occupied by fifth years and above except for those who had class this late into the day. 

“She thinks it’s a prank,” Yoongi spoke up again, his face only hinting what his voice stated: he was concerned. 

“No, she is scared it could be a prank but doesn’t actually believe that,” Jin replied calmly as he blew on his done parchment. “It’s actually really cute how clueless she is. Don’t worry Yoongi.” 

“Okay, what are we talking about?” Hobi put his quill down before he moved his head this way and that to relieve his neck muscles. “I don’t think I can write another word, my hand is starting to cramp.” 

“Hobah, sometimes I wonder how did you end up with a girlfriend.” Jin patted the Hufflepuff’s shoulder with a slight shake of his head. “Yoongi is worried about Y/nie and Taehyungie.” 

Hoseok leveled a look with the Gryffindor before turning to the Slytherin sitting across from him. 

“What is he saying?” 

“Merlin, you are as observant as Professor Binns.” Yoongi rubbed his cheeks to keep himself awake. It’s been a long day for him with all this Valentine's Day craze and the amount of work he had done in the past few hours took a toll on his state. “Those two like each other, they just don’t notice the glaringly obvious.” 

“When did this happen?!” 

“I would say when Rickett started to hang on every word Taehyung ever uttered,” Joon added, turning a page carefully before he jotted some snippet of information down. 

“Nah, Tae had to like her earlier than that.” Yoongi shook his head. “Her, on the other hand, I think it was last Christmas.” 

“You are both wrong.” Jin elbowed into the table with his jaw supported by the palm of his hand. “It was 2 years ago on this precise day. When Lockhart did that over the top morale booster with decorations and dwarves.” 

“Sweet Paracelsus, I forgot about that man entirely.” 

“With good reason.” Jin nodded before he went on. “Anyway, Y/n was jumpy all day when a dwarf was near her to the point Kookie wanted to protect her from them. He was twelve.” 

“That doesn’t prove anything.” Joon blinked at the older lion, putting the book down on the tabletop. “Taehyung was still that cute kid who thought everyone is his friend, even the thestrals in the forest.” 

“Why are you saying that as a bad thing?” Hobi scrunched up his forehead in disagreement. 

“Because that caused us more than a year of Ellie Rickett on our backs and a miserable kid came out of it in the end.” Yoongi snapped. “Focus, Hoseok.” 

“It proves everything because Tae asked me whether it’s cool or lame to send a message with a dwarf that day,” Jin spoke above the rumbling green-clad boy before he leaned back in his chair triumphantly. “He wanted to send something to Y/n.” 

“But he didn’t. It took him 2 years to do it.” Yoongi added, carding a hand into his black locks to support his head from the side. “It’s infuriating.” 

“I vaguely remember you saying you would curse the kid if he were to try something.” Joon raised a brow, irritating the Slytherin further. 

“That girl was a curse enough.” 

“I see.” 

“Look, I don’t want him to hurt her, okay?” 

“Yaaaah Yoongi-ah, when did you get so cute?”

“I’m going to hex your hair off, Seokjin, I’m not  _ cute. _ ” 

“I’m sure Alina would disagree.” Hobi grinned before jumping away from the table in defense.

“She has nothing to do with this nor me.” 

“But your parents would love her.” 

“Too bad.” 

Reaching a dead end in the conversation, the four boys slowly sank back into their work while Jin just stared out the window. The skeleton-like treetops reached into the sky almost eye-level to him in contrast to the darkening blue coloring into midnight black above the castle. Lights were filling up the windows he had a view of, the Gryffindor Tower coming alive as students went back to their rooms before leaving for the Great Hall. The older lion wondered whether you were behind one of the lights, what were you thinking of as you put your things down. He had no idea what the girls' room looked like, but he was pretty sure your area was well-kept, books, and quills in a tidy arrangement. 

Jin didn’t see you upset the way you were last year, but there was a sense of closed off-ness since the new year has started. Maybe he was reading too much into your OWL year, but it felt like you were guarded, not as easy going and happy as you were before. Even after the animagus training which you were dreaming of since the day you saw McGonagall transform, the happy little girl he met back in the common room seemed to be gone now. 

“I think she will figure it out before he does,” Joon whispered under his breath, perhaps not meaning for the others to hear it too. 

“Agreed.” Jin nodded without looking his way. 

“They will be fine,” Hobi muttered, rolling his parchment higher on the table.

Yoongi just hummed, staring at the bookshelves behind Hobi’s shoulder, biting his lower lip with a distressed look. Jin saw his reflection in the window, a small smile tugging on his expression. 

“Yoongi-ah, she loves you too.” 

\---------------------------------------------

The bed felt cold under your clothes. At first, you just wanted to take a breather alone, making up the excuse to leave your bag in your room, but once you sat down, you wanted to stay longer. Curling on your side, you stared at the vase one of the house-elves gave you. The tall glass was made into a smooth tear shape with its mouth falling back in a ruffled shape, the four blades of lilies standing straight in the water. 

You were sure it wasn’t anyone you didn’t know. It couldn’t be. You didn’t want it to be a stranger. But out of the people you knew, you couldn’t phantom who would feel about you this way. 

Yoongi was so sure when he said you wouldn’t know if he punished someone for pranking you. Does this mean it is a prank, they just spared you the heartache? 

No, Jimin would tell you. He did say it isn’t one. You trusted him unconditionally.

You tried to keep your head straight, you really did, but the wish in the back of your mind lingered, pulling on your being with two hands and all ten fingers. 

_ What if… _

No, it can’t be. 

Everything you knew stood against it. Thinking about him like this won’t do you any good. 

Pulling your legs closer to your chest, you wondered what would happen if you just didn’t go to dinner tonight. The last time you did that, he came looking for you, bringing food and comfort. But you weren’t in the Astronomy room now. 

_ You could be. _

Chewing on the inside of your mouth, you didn’t know what to do. It would be so nice to just push this whole thing away and not think about it. Wouldn’t that solve it?

_ That is not true. _

You were making yourself mad. Frustrated with everything, you impulsively got up, reached for the window to open it. Your hand only hesitated for a moment before you turned the handle. No one would recognize you for you anyway, not while Fawkes was around. 

A moment later talons were in the place of your feet and with two beats of your wings, you were gone into the night sky. It was almost completely dark except for a ribbon of lighter blue on the horizon, nothing above you but the stars and the lonely moon. It was a quiet night with barely any wind to fight against, a soft breeze gently carrying you as you circled down the Tower. 

Your mind was wiped cleaner, the thoughts in your head more linear, much simpler. Letting out a sigh deep from your belly, a low melody came out, mellow and warm. With almost no effort you took your time to reach the bottom of Gryffindor Tower before plunging upwards with powerful waves of your wings, wind gushing by you as you ascended a good height above the castle. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a decent-sized dollhouse, with its small lights on, with the majestic towers and decorated hallways any little girl dreams to have in their rooms to play with. 

Trilling at the sight, you tried to identify each piece of the building you could, confusing the Ravenclaw Tower with the Astronomy one as you let the breeze tickle through your feathers lazily. Your flames were longer than usual, giving your form an illuminated contour before you found the room you found yourself drawn to mere minutes ago. 

The glass ceiling was dark, no one on the other side. Maybe there was no class today? Or it was too early for it? Curiously blinking at the glittering glass as it reflected the stars above you, you decided to take a slight detour above the lake to do something. The huge body of water looked beautiful with the same image twinkling from the smooth surface as the glass ceiling with the Durmstrang ship sitting right at the top of the curve of the shore, slightly tilted to its side as you neared it. 

The moon tipped the highest peak of the celestial ceiling as you drew out the outskirts of the blanket of shimmering lights as the water rippled near the shore. Occasionally spotting a wild animal or two as they bent over to take a drink, you always cautiously rose in altitude, unsure of what else could be lurking under the boney branches, but nothing bothered with you. You hoped to see a magical creature appear, thinking of pearly white unicorns or hippogriffs joining you for a short flight, but it was just you and a pair of young bucks by the edge of the water, carefully watching you from afar. 

It only occurred to you how you might be missing dinner when you turned back toward the castle. Oddly, it wasn’t causing as much panic as it would have in your human form, so you made no effort to get back any faster than you left the school behind. Dropping low enough over the impossibly smooth surface of the lake, you tipped the very end of your left wing into the water, drawing a long satin-like ripple, shaping the replicas of the shining dots on the sky below with your feathers, turning them into shooting stars. Playing with the water like that for a good way as you neared the castle again, you trilled happily, memorizing the feel and scene as much as you could. 

This was easy. Simple. 

But the school’s silhouette grew back from dollhouse to towering fortress soon and you ripped yourself from the lake to rise above the white sails of the Durmstrang ship all the way back to the see-through ceiling. It was equally as dark inside as the last time you saw it, but you weren’t sure it was as empty too. Drifting out from above it, you closed your wings enough to hop down by the corner of the glass, peeking down carefully. 

You weren’t as stealthy as you wanted to be, your flames casting off a shadow on the floor so you yanked your neck back. Class wasn’t in session, but you thought you saw someone down there. Sure enough, someone must have noticed, because soon you heard a noise you were not familiar with, rattling under the glass until one of the many pieces lifted. You ducked off the roof to hover under the outer frame of the room until the person was gone, maintaining altitude with a flap now and then. 

It was quiet for a bit and you were unsure whether the person left or not. Until you heard the voice. 

“Great, now you are even imagining her on rooftops. Idiot.” 

Your surprise was voiced instantly with a questioning chirp and you pulled your wing to your beak in a very human way before you had to work to keep yourself afloat again. 

_ Stupid bird noises. _

“Y/n? Is that you?” 

_ Apparently. _

Chattering as you propelled yourself higher, you overdid it a bit and got a good distance more elevated than what you aimed for. He had to crane his neck to keep his eye on you, a fond smile appearing instantly when you entered his field of vision. 

“Want me to get you some bird food? You missed dinner again!” 

You hissed at the accusation before you got curious whether that would work or not. You would eat a lot less as a phoenix, right?

_ Maybe I should ask McGonagall.  _

_ When she stops being angry with me.  _

Taehyung chuckled at your reaction, elbowing into the window frame as he watched you descend closer to him with sloppy beats. He noted how the flames surrounding your feathers were bigger than what he usually saw and began wondering why. Recalling what you told him about them, he grew curious about whether your emotions were more intense because of him. Because of his flowers. 

“Want to come in? It’s getting late.” 

You nodded with an agreeing sound, talons carefully reaching for the frame just by his arm. Within seconds, you were standing right in front of him, his frame colored by the reddish-purple light your flames gave off, lighting millions of little stars in his watchful gaze. He didn’t move to let you in yet, looking up in wonder before he shuddered because of the cold air. Pressing his torso to the side, he opened up the small space he was leaning out of and you could see the ladder he was standing on before diving into the dark classroom, tucking your wings close to your body. 

“Y-you okay?” He asked as he struggled to place the lock back under the window he closed, slowly making his way towards the ground. 

“Yeah, nothing happened if that’s what you thought.” You replied, back in your human form. It took you a moment to realize you didn’t have your robes on since you left that back in your dorm room, so you only had your jeans on and the red jumper he gave you for Christmas. “Did something happen during dinner?” 

“Oh, no, not really.” He shook his head as he settled down beside you cross-legged, pulling his bag to him. “But you are starting a weird habit with this whole not eating thing. Jin might scold you the next time he sees you.” He picked up a wrapped baguette before handing it to you. 

“Thanks. I didn’t do it on purpose this time, I swear. Just lost track of time.” You muttered, pulling the tinfoil off the sandwich. “Oh, chicken mayo? Good choice Sir!” 

“The elves are getting used to me getting food for you at this point, I think they are keeping tabs on your eating habits.” He smiled softly, folding his bag before turning back to see you eat. “So how was your day? We didn’t share a class.” 

“Uhm…” You chewed a bit, trying to remain casually friendly. You couldn’t tear your attention away from how close his left knee was to your hip, but you tried to act like a normal human being would with a friend who brought her food. Again. In a romantic setting.  _ Again. _ “Eventful I suppose? Yours?” 

“It was okay.” He shrugged, expecting a different answer. “The guys got a little frantic with the whole Valentine’s Day thing, but it was nice. Getting you girls flowers, I mean.” 

“Uh-uh.” You replied. A tug of war was going on inside your head, fighting for dominance whether you should ask him or not before he spoke again. 

“Did you like the ones you got?” 

“O-oh, yes. Yeah, sure.” You nodded, holding onto the sandwich for dear life. “I’m just a little puzzled by it.” 

“Oh?” The one-syllable answer was so soft-spoken, you wanted to wrap yourself up in it. 

_ Merlin, you’re so done. _

“I don’t know who would know what my favorite flower is. I told Kookie not too long ago, but it wasn’t him. Maybe I should write home to my Dad, but this isn’t really the way he would surprise me.” 

“Why, how would he do it?” 

“With a huge basket of his baking, and it would be wildflowers, not lilies. He says he leaves that to his future son-in-law.” You admitted immediately, feeling bashful about the fact how much you just said. “It’s his love language to do stuff like that.” You took a bite so you wouldn’t say anything more, missing how Taehyung folded his lower lip into his mouth happily as he smiled while you shyly tucked your chin closed to your chest as you chewed. 

“Ah, I see. I wonder what’s mine.” He muttered, actually thinking about it. Maybe these things were easier to observe from the outside than knowing it about yourself. You hummed, knowing exactly what it was, but unsure whether you should say it or not. “Do you know?” He quirked an eyebrow at your expression, cursing you to answer after you swallowed your food. 

“I think yours is physical affection.” You said matter of factly, gauging his reaction. 

“Really? I wasn’t very… like that with Ellie.” He furrowed his brows, a pout forming on his heart-shaped lips. 

_ Why are you watching his lips for God’s sake! _

“You are with us. You were damn clingy when you were younger too.” You tried to joke, remembering how he used to throw his arm around your shoulder when he met up with you on the way to the Great Hall from his common room. “Remember how you drove Yoongi absolutely insane when you wanted to hug him all the time?” 

“I wasn’t that bad.” He barked out a laugh at the memory. “You have to admit he is squishy.” 

“He would hate it if you told him that.” You chuckled picking up a piece of broken-off chicken breast before throwing it in your mouth. “But I would gladly watch you do it.” 

“Psh, such a tease.” He let his head lol back a bit, looking up at the starry night sky. He didn’t see how you flushed at the comment, busying yourself with anything and everything so he wouldn’t see your blood-rushed cheeks. “So what’s yours then?” 

“My what?”

“Love language?” 

“Oh… I don’t know. Kook could probably answer that.” 

“Hmm...was I really that bad?” 

“I didn’t mind.” You replied honestly, attention focusing on his knee again as it somehow got closer than the last time you looked at it. “You only stopped when...she told you to.” 

_ Girl, get a grip. _

He hummed, still staring upward. Thin tendrils of the moon reached in through the ceiling above, illuminating the far right corner of the room, a good two steps away behind his back. The cool shard of light made you look more visible while his features gained more shadows as the contrasting light contoured his frame. 

“Can I ask you something?” He asked quietly, stubbornly keeping his face lifted. He was afraid to see your expression, afraid to gain proof of what he was fearing.

“Sure.” You nodded, even though he didn’t see it, a little concerned. 

“Do you want them to be from a certain person?” 

The words were so breathy, so low in volume. You heard them, blood rushing in your ear as you felt like you might combust. You didn’t need to ask what he was talking about and didn’t want to pretend confusion. It felt like a hummingbird was trapped in your chest, wanting to escape and you didn’t know how to let it out. 

“I think so, yes.” 

His stomach dropped. Countless faces whizzed in the back of his mind, trying to figure out who you might be talking about. He thought about the remaining three lilies he still had, probably in the bathroom window belonging to his dorm room, sadly noting how he will never be able to give them to you. 

“Taehyung, wh…” 

A crack echoed in the room while you yelled in surprise, grasping for your wand strapped to your wrist but Taehyung was faster, wand in hand while he stared at the objects which were not there before. 

“That was elf magic, I’m sure of it.” You choked out, not seeing the new arrivals on the floor on the space between the two of you. “Do you think…” The words stopped coming out when you noticed what he was staring at. 

Three perfectly identical blades of lilies lay neatly on each other, the petals pointing in your direction while the end of the stems leaned in the Ravenclaw’s direction. A silky ribbon pulled them together into a small bouquet, a bow decorating it in the middle elegantly. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, shaky and breathless. 

“Yeah, yeah. I wonder if the elf is injured or something because this was not ordinary. These… wait.” You paused, mind accelerating at the sudden realization. “An elf was delivering these all day? Merlin, I just need to ask them, and then I would…” 

The look on Tae’s face made you pause and you moved out of pure instinct when you saw his lip tremble, balancing on one hand as you scooted closer.

“Hey, what is it?” 

He looked up at you, tension high his body as an arched bow as your free hand reached his on the floor. He wanted to lean in, to pull you closer, to tell you… to kiss you. If not for the potentially unbearable pain he thought he would receive, he would…

“Taehyung-ah?”

“Hm?”

You chuckled a bit when he finally gave a response, tilting your head to see more of his face. 

“I think we just got pranked by a Hogwarts house-elf.” 

“Really?” 

“Well, he or she either did their job as requested and is happy or they messed it up and they are moping around somewhere. Which do you think is it?” 

“Maybe both?” 

“You mean they…” 

“... didn’t mean to scare us.” He nodded, gaze a little hazy. “Just deliver these.” 

“They got us jumping out of our socks either way.” You grinned, lifting your hand off of his. “So now that these are here, it’s safe to say they are not from who I had in mind.” 

Horror dawned on you how seriously bad you just messed up. You and your non-existent self-control just had to go and…

“Really?” His tone colored by surprise and this time it was his torso invading into your space the way you did seconds ago. “How do you know?” 

“I…” You tried to find something to focus on so you could talk your way out of this mess, but he was so so close you had to drop your gaze to the bouquet. “Well, I don’t see why do it like this, you know, if...um…” 

“Y/nie, please look at me.” He pleaded, a pair of fingers guiding your chin up. 

Weakly praying the room was dark enough so your blush wouldn’t be as obvious as it felt from the radiating heat torrenting within you, you slowly inhaled before locking your gaze with his, waiting for whatever was to come. 

“Who do you think sent you these, hm?” He hummed, not waiting for a reply, eyes bouncing around your expression. “I get you didn’t get a note with them and it wasn’t as blatantly obvious as this sweater was Christmas morning, but...please tell me who did you have in mind. Please, please say it.” 

You just stared at him, processing what he just said. The hummingbird repeatedly clashed against the cage your ribs formed, the rhythm beating in your throat. 

_ Did he just… _

“Just a name, that's enough.” He murmured, so close you could feel his breath against your skin, his hand tenderly cradling your jaw. 

“Taehyung, I…” But you never had the chance to finish that thought before he took your lips to his, brushing kiss after kiss as he cupped your face between his warm hands, shaping your movements after his. He didn’t hurry, no rush behind each stroke of his index finger on your cheek, nothing forceful as he pulled you closer until your hands were on his waist, moving behind his back to hug him closer. He smiled into his pecks when he felt you move closer, sighing happily before he nuzzled into your cheek. 

“I’m such a fool.” He chuckled, wrapping his arms around your shoulders while you barely had time to adjust to everything before he tucked you to his neck. 

“Tae…”

“Yeah?”

“Did you really send them?”

“Yeah.” 

“How did you know?” 

“That these are your favorite?” You just nodded against his neck, still wide-eyed and flushed. “I don’t know when did I hear it. I know you weren’t talking to me when you said it, and we were still kids. Maybe during our second year here? I just remember you adamantly saying how lilies are more pretty than roses are. How unique you thought they are.” 

“You remember what I said three years ago?” You muttered weakly, mind filled with a thousand thoughts and none at the same time.

“Of course I do.” 

“Why?”

“Because I like you. I probably liked you since we became friends.” Words were spilling out of his mouth and he didn’t see the end of them, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was how you wanted the lilies to be from him and the way your hand curled around his shirt when you heard his confession. 

“Tae?”

“Yeah?”

“I like you too.” 

Happily chuckling, he pressed a kiss on top of your head, tightening his arms around you. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had time to catch up with some of my bookmarks and noticed how some authors were leaving notes about struggling and trying to cope with everything which made me wonder: does any of you have it similar? Are you okay? I hope everyone is doing well, hanging in there, and find some solace reading stuff here. I don't know where you are, what is happening, or how you are feeling, but I hope you can shut it out when you need to and heal a little.

It was still dark. 

You were restless. 

Unsure. 

The dorm was quiet, soft breaths elevating and dropping in different beats, light snoring coming from the further corner from you. There was no way to tell what was the time as the deep winter morning gave no hints with sunshine trickling in through the black mirror of the windows beside your bed. 

You could feel the intense fire cursing under your skin, the covers keeping in the warmth you generated. Maybe you were running on a higher temperature because of your uneasiness, maybe the traits you exhibit as a phoenix animagus start to show in your human form. McGonagall said something like that, right? But there was no sweat, no uncomfortable sense coming from it. It was just there. 

Among other things. 

Staring up at the ceiling, you just couldn’t think straight. 

_ What’s next? _

Bits and pieces of last night were flipping through your mind like a picture book, specific moments more dominant than the rest, pairing with emotions you couldn’t identify for sure. You should be happy, right? 

Then why are you…

_ Is this scared? _

But why would you be scared?

_ What will they say? _

The impossible hold of that… tension was not lessening. 

You wanted to tell someone, somehow. 

_ What exactly? _

Sighing, you turned from your back to your side, curling your toes as your knees neared your chest. 

_ What is going on? _

Not expecting anymore sleep, you pulled off the covers a good amount of time later. Maybe it was half an hour or maybe just five minutes, who knows. Not pulling the curtains around your bed, but just slipping out under the side, you picked up a shirt and a pair of black pants before you closed the bathroom door behind you, quickly washing up. You worked in the dark, finding more peace in the small amount of natural light coming from outside than lighting a candle. No one moved from their beds by the time you got out, dressed, and ready for the day, but you didn’t pick up your things yet. 

Socked feet touching the curling staircase outside, you closed the dorm’s door behind you silently before going down towards the common room. You had an inkling to write a letter without knowing who to send it to and there was plenty of supplies lying around down there. At least you can scratch out sentences, restart trains of thoughts if the one before one didn’t lead to where you wanted it to. The material slipping slightly under your heel on the cool stone, you grabbed the wall before you looked around, finding a completely deserted common room, the fire barely alive with glowing embers. 

_ Why is everything so wobbly? _

Jin’s spot by the window drew you in, the pillowed window frame asking to be sat on. Hands wrapping around your pulled up knees, you let your back lay flat on the wall as you stared into the dark. 

The outside world seemed unchanged compared to when you left it to settle down in the Astronomy room a few hours back. While your everything was upside down - body tingling, mind spinning, and soul quivering - the stars were glittering just the same, the black canvas of the sky just as deep and untouchable as before. The wind was playing with the leafless treetops, tugging on the sails of the Durmstrang ship while the castle slept and your mind raced for assurance. 

_ Shouldn’t I be happy? _

But you were. There was this nervous energy bubbling up making you want to yell, to shake your head, to jump into someone’s waiting hug. You just didn’t know how to let it out. What to do with it. 

_ Does Taehyung fee… _

“Y/nie?” 

The voice had your head turn so quickly your neck complained, a cracking groan slipping out just as fast as you noticed your friend on the bottom of the stairs, pajamas on, and a few books in hand. 

“Good morning Jinnie.” You replied as one hand massaged your neck. “What are you doing awake?” 

The older lion blinked at you slowly, the remnant signs of his sleep present here and there as he put down his things on the table under the window sill you occupied before he hopped on. His clear blue and white striped set got paler under the faint light as he turned his torso your way, feet dangling under as his shoulder reached the opposite end of the wall from you. 

“Cough up, what is it?” 

“Huh?” 

“That face. I know that face. Besides, it’s way too early for you to be awake, so it must be big.” His tone was unnervingly factful while his face started to open up in curiosity, a tiny smirk tugging on his lip as he watched you grow smaller under his gaze. 

“I… “ You had to shut your eyes to think about how to go on with this. “It’s just… a lot on my mind right now. I woke up and once I was awake, I couldn’t really fall back asleep. I don’t know how to say it properly though.” 

“Why is that?” 

“S-something happened. And I guess I’m… Unsure. What to do or… I just don’t know how to behave!” You worked up some courage as the desperation rose from Merlin knows where, looking up at the older Gryffindor, suddenly frustrated. If he was surprised, he didn’t show, the smirk staying as he nodded slightly in your direction. 

“What did he do?” 

“Who?” You were very much aware who was Seokjin referring to, but you were very far away from admitting it. 

“Taehyung.” 

_ Huh. _

“Why do you think it has something to do with Taehyung?” It was agitating how unmoved Jin was, how he didn’t even blink while you were just trying to hold on to look at least a bit normal and unhinged. Like the world, not even your friend was aware of how you were cracking up inside when it was the single most obvious thing to you. 

“Because you only look at me like this when it’s Taehyung. Look, you don’t have to tell me if it’s uncomfortable, but whatever it is, I’m sure you are fine.” 

_ No, I’m not. Please don’t stop asking, please. _

“How do you know it’s fine?” It only occurred to you how you might not seem the stablest when your voice wavered and the boy’s expression changed into something much more gentle. 

“Ah, you sweet little thing. Come here.” He didn’t wait for you to move or to protest, unhooking your arms from your knees and pulling you closer with them until he had an arm around your shoulders. “It’s fine because I know it is. Haven’t I proved my solid judgment enough times already?” 

“Jin, you think bacon goes with chocolate.” 

“And you are a coward for not trying it.” He retorted immediately as he placed his chin on the crown of your head. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Yeah.” It was a tiny breath, but he heard it, a smile returning to tug on the corner of his lips. 

“Alright. Whatever happened, are you okay with it?”

“Yes.” 

“Is he?” 

“I think so.” 

“Good. Did you talk about it?” 

Pause. 

“Y/nieee, seriously?” 

“What, I didn’t say anything! Is there a need to talk about it?” 

“Well, there might be! You know what you are talking about, I’m just shooting in the dark for Merlin’s sake!” The words spilled out so quickly it was almost comical, the boy’s voice escalating in volume after every syllable. “Do you like what happened?” 

“Yeah, yes I do.” You chewed on the inside of your mouth before going on. “But I’m scared you won’t. The others won’t.” 

“Nonsense, why would you think that?” 

“Well…” 

It was so easy to reply to every question until this one. This is the one you should give more words to, not just a simple yes or no answer, but a full rounded reply to explain. You had to abuse something, teeth rolling on the flesh between it as you tried to string the words together. 

“Y/nie, did he tell you how he feels?” 

_ What. _

“What d… what do you mean?” You pulled your head away, now clearly more curious. Did Jin know before you? Did he seriously go around and tell everyone before…

“Okay, this might come as a shock, but I think half of the castle is aware of how your friendship could potentially be… a small pond compared to what could it be.” He was troubled for the first time since finding you in the common room, maybe overstepping his ground, but you did ask and he won’t swat the question away no matter how it’s not his place. 

“Small pond. Seokjin, are you serious.” You deadpanned, not exactly the reaction he was anticipating. 

“What I’m trying to say is…”

“I understand what you mean, I just can’t get past the pond analogy, you clearly need more rest than this.” 

“You understand? So he did confess last night!” Jin’s expression went from zero to a hundred percent happy with a skin cracking grin before he wrapped you closer to sway this and that way while you just gaped into his shirt. 

_ Did I just tell him? _

“And now you tell me everything, I have been waiting for _ years _, fess up!” 

Relieved shock quickly changed place with shock shock as you looked up at him, tone rising with it. 

“What do you mean years? And half the castle? What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?” 

“Okay, half of the castle might be a slight exaggeration, but I’m sure there are people...” 

“Jin!”

“But he did tell you, right?” You could feel the grin the way he said it and you didn’t know what did you feel more: scandalized or embarrassed. 

“I’m not telling you anything until you explain what you mean!” 

“Ah, such a stubborn child.” He sighed. “I cannot be sure, because I never asked, but I think he has been loving you for a long time, he just didn’t know. The way he was with you when he was little and the whole thing with Ellie, I think it proves how long he had to come to understand. If I can see that, I’m sure others do too. Why do you think any of us would be mad?” 

“I don’t know. We might ruin our friendship. It just got good with Ellie leaving us alone and this feels like throwing oil onto the fire.” You muttered into his shirt, the scent of freshly washed clothes invading you with every breath. “I don’t think he has been… definitely not in love. Jin, there must be a difference between liking someone and loving someone.” 

“He said he likes you then, huh?” The older lion murmured, chin tilted upwards. “I’m sure there is a difference, but with you two… why would there be? You know each other. You have been growing up together and there isn’t any sort of filter, a difference in how you treat each other. You love Jungkook-ah, you love Yoongi, and I’m sure you love Taehyung too. He knows you for who you are and you know him too. It’s just a different kind of love than what you share with your little brother, don’t you think?” 

“But… isn’t love this huge thing?” You felt silly for asking, but the words were rolling off without a brake, straight from your mind into the air. “People talk about love all the time, like it’s a big deal, a difficult thing to love someone. Sacrifices and pain and whatever. Big words. Nothing I feel is this… grandiose. I just…” You pulled up your shoulders with the lack of vocal explanation, dropping them as you noticed yourself how you can’t put it into words. 

“It is, but it isn’t.” You whined at the reply, but he just chuckled before going on. “No, really. If you think about it… what makes you two obvious is how you treat each other. You have this answer why you didn’t do anything with Rickett, how you never snapped at her and however you might believe that to be true, I think it was because you were keeping Taehyung’s best interest at heart and not your own. You could have stood up for yourself many times. You could have shunned her along with him for their idiotic behavior. But no. You only did snap when she injured Kookie and even then you didn’t draw blood. I would have gone absolutely insane if it were me and anyone of you on the receiving end of that stupid Diffindo. You didn’t want him hurting any more than necessary. You didn’t want to cause him pain, to be the reason for his pain. How is that not grandiose?” 

“You make it sound like it is. If you were asking someone else, they could say I just was being a cowardly Gryffindor, avoiding the situation.” 

“They could, but honestly, who cares. If Yoongi says you can keep up in a duel, that means you could whoop whoever badmouths you, you just chose not to.” 

Until now, you just let Jin tug and pull you around like a doll, but you were fiercely hugging him now. The horizon started to color into a cloudless morning behind your backs as the common room started to become more visible with light landing on more surfaces. 

“You have no reason to be scared of anything Y/nie.” 

“Jin… he was giving me flowers all day long yesterday.” 

“Yeah, I reckoned that was what's going on.” 

“A house-elf helped him delivering it.” 

“Uh-uh.” 

“They were from his grandma’s greenhouse.” 

“That’s nice.” 

“Can I go on?” You were aware of how you must be gushing at this point, reaching a very mushy phase, so you wanted to give him a way out before it becomes too much. “You don’t have to listen to me.” 

“May I remind you how I very specifically asked you to tell me what happened?” He laughed, wrapping his arms around you tighter too. 

“He kissed me in the Astronomy Tower.” 

“I might regret this request of mine…” 

You laughed into his shirt, embarrassment almost gone. 

“Was he any good?” 

“How would I know?” 

“Well… you were there, right? Or do you want me to do a quality check? That would make quite the morning news…” 

“What I meant was I don’t know because I don’t have anything to compare it to.” You fought to get the words out, the scene he painted drawing out uncontrolled giggles. 

“Oh, I see.” He sounded genuinely surprised before he realized he would want to know about your first kiss, so it made sense you never said anything regarding the topic. “Well, I don’t have any other choice in the matter I guess. What do you think, who will be more shocked, Tae or Ellie when I march in to smooch the kid before first class?

\------------------------------------------------

Dawn rounded into morning as the two of you stayed in the common room as Jin read the books he picked to further his studies. The older boy joked about how he is getting cold as he sat behind the desk right under the sill you occupied, about to get up to get warmer things but you took it seriously enough to change your form instead. Soon you were tucking your wings tightly on his lap, curling into a bun while your tail feathers trailed along the boy’s legs, warming his knees and falling all the way down on the floor like a bride’s train. The only sound was the brushing of paper as Jin turned the page, quietly mouthing the words sometimes. 

There was something inexplicably soothing about him. The way he calmly brushed away the things that made your heart clench and your soul heavy, the way he gently smiled when your voice cracked, the way he pulled you closer to baby you a bit. Thoughts mulled and heart calmed, you drifted to a near sleep-like state, flames barely flickering on the ends of your feathers as he studied. You didn’t know what your life would be like without Seokjin and his endless patience with you. 

But peace didn’t last long. Students were waking up in their beds, getting ready at their own pace and while you were dressed, Jin was still in his pajamas, so the idyllic setting had to end. Feeling much lighter going upstairs to retrieve your bag, you strapped your wand on before pulling your robe over your black shirt. Winter boots with a high ponytail, you were already making your way down to breakfast making this morning one of the rare very early ones you ever entertained in the castle. Soft and faint natural light invaded inside the corridors still empty of students and noise, the silence and stillness of it all making you feel better with each step. It felt like you were able to do anything, to make your day whatever you wanted. 

So it came as a bit of a surprise to see people join you in the early hour in the Great Hall, small knots of students muttering and eating while most of the teacher’s table was almost full. Turning to walk the aisle between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, you glanced over the spread of breakfast food, the number of choices overwhelming. 

_ Was there always this many? _

With only you representing your house, you pulled up your bag to fish out a book to scan through, but none caught your attention. Deciding to read through one of your assignments, you selected food on your plate and slowly began to work your way through the paper. 

_ This is nice. _

Paying attention to what you were doing - maneuvering with reading and doing your best not to drop food in your lap - you didn’t notice how the Hall was growing louder as more people piled in. It only became evident when both of your favorite housemates decided to sit across from you. 

“Noona, what on Earth are you doing this early?”

“Let her be Jungkook-ah, she’s reading.” 

“Yeah, but…”

“Kook, can’t get up early?” You glanced up at the astonished boy.

“It’s not about whether you have the ability to, you just don’t use it. At all.” 

“Oh, shots fired.” A mop of red hair slammed down beside you. 

“0-1 to Fawley against Fawley. I wonder… how will Fawley retaliate?” 

“Har-har Fred.” You sighed, putting the homework away. 

“Excuse you for your being rude, I’m George.” The boy beside you puffed up his chest before dumping a very generous amount of sausages on his plate. “So what’s up, you weren’t here last night during dinner.” 

“Yeah, exactly.” Kookie mouthed through his food.

“Chew, swallow, and then talk.” Jin flicked the boy’s head on the side, earning a whine. 

“I just lost track of time.” You admitted. 

“Please tell me you weren’t doing homework and forgot to eat, that is disgustingly nerdy.” Fred inserted quickly. The corner of Jin’s lips threatened to curl upward at the comment, before looking from the red-head beside him to you, waiting for an appropriate explanation. 

“No, I was in my bed and didn’t want to get up for your information.” 

“Much better. Laziness, I can get behind.” 

“Weren’t you hungry?” Kook frowned a bit, eyeing you closely. “This is not the first time you didn’t come to dinner. Did Taehyung bring you food again?” 

“Taehyung?” George tilted his head at your little brother. “How would he get in the Tower?”

“And all the way up to the girls' dormitory too. We didn’t reach that far yet, and we tried. More than once.” Fred added, brows reaching for his hairline. “Is there something going on here?” 

Seokjin was outright grinning at you by this point and you had to wonder whether you were starting to blush or not. 

“Last time I didn’t feel alright and Cho told him so he got me a sandwich.” You shrugged while your mind was overwhelmed by the quick assumptions. Were you really this oblivious? “Why, would it bother you two weasels if something _ were _ going on?” 

“Oh, word pun? Amusing. Never heard that one before.” 

“I wouldn’t say bother… but it would be interesting indeed.” 

“In an ‘oh, okay’ way.” 

“In a ‘huh, look at them’ way.” 

Your attention was bouncing from one twin to the other before turning to Kookie, who had his eyes narrowed at you as he chewed. 

“Kookie?”

“Hm?”

“Can we talk after breakfast?”

“Sure, but why not…” 

“Oh wait.” Remembering something out of the blue, you picked up your bag and rolled out a specific parchment and as soon as he recognized it for what it was, he fished out his own as you started to scribble what you wanted to say. It wasn’t coming out exactly as you wanted it to, but this was a much faster way than waiting and dealing with the twins at the same time. Torn between writing as fast as you can and watching him read your sentences, you made quick work of it and rolled the paper before George - who has been craning his neck for a few good seconds now - couldn’t read it. 

At first, you could only see the crown of the boy’s head as he hunched over, not moving much. You could tell when did he reach the essential part because he froze in his seat, maybe even stopped breathing before he looked up at you in open shock. The open ‘o’ of his mouth and the rounding of his eyes made you wonder how did he up as a thunderbird and not a bunny before he snapped his lips shut. 

“Whatever you just did, that boy is gone.” George pointed in his direction with a sausage stabbed through his fork. 

“Good party trick, care to share?” Fred countered on Jin’s other side, making the sixth year bite down on his lip before he turned back to survey your little brother. 

“Noona…” He breathed out slowly.

“Mhmm?” You quirked an eyebrow, tensing for an opinion coming your way. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Wha… yes? I think so?”

“No, like absolutely sure. Because I can throw him in the lake if he messes up. Easy.” 

“Can I watch?” George promptly placed his chin on his waiting hand. “Not sure who are we talking about though.” 

“Well, they are not talking to you, maybe that’s why,” Jin muttered as he watched you grow flustered with emotions. 

“That’s fine, we would be glad to throw anyone in the lake,” Fred added without missing a beat. 

“True. Well, maybe Hagrid would be a bit…”

“...Challenging. Still fun.” 

“Kook, if it comes to that, I can drop him in anytime.” You blinked, the fire inside picking up again and you wondered how red exactly are you. 

“No argument there, but it would make me feel better.” 

“I think Yoongi has dibs on that, just to be fair,” Jin noted, taking a bite of his croissant. 

“Since when?” Both you and Kook chorused, turning to the older lion. 

“Dunno, ask him.” 

“Noona…” He glanced at you before deciding to write it down, his hand fumbling under the table as he tried his best to scribble on this thigh. 

_ Look, I’m glad if you are happy. I’m glad if he makes you happy. But. I would _ _ <strike>never</strike>… _ _ .I _ <strike> _ don’t think I could _ </strike> _ ...I don’t want him to hurt you. _

Staring at the appearing sentence, you nodded over the crossed-out words. 

_ He has a point. _

_ “Kookie… I don’t think it’s fair to promise anything about this. I could hurt him just as much. And it would be the fair thing to be mad at me the same way as if it were the other way around. Remember what he looked like back then? In the kitchen?” _

He didn’t look up before dipping his quill in.

_ “I do.” _

_ “So what do you think? Besides being a protective little fluff?” _

_ “I’m not a fluff! And… I think it’s a good fit.” _

He paused, looking up at you as he rolled a thought around in his head before hunching again. 

_ “Is it okay if I still want to kick his ass a little? He should have asked me!” _

_ “About what exactly??” _

_ “Whether I give my blessing!” _

_ “Why on… NO!!!! You are not my father for Merlin’s sake!” _

_ “But I should have known!” _

_ “Well, some did. Look at Jin, how smug he is!” _

The boy glanced up at his friend beside him, catching Seokjin trying to read the disappearing lines under the table. They stared at each other for a hot minute, Kook shooting up an eyebrow, while Jin had half of his cheek stuffed with food before he made a face at Kookie while making funny noises. Huffing at the display, he shook his head, quill tilting this way and that as he began writing again.

_ “You are telling me this buffoon knew and I didn’t. What a reality check.” _

_ “He has some experience over you I guess.” _

_ “Rude." _

“Um…” George’s voice made you jump a little as you turned to look at him. “Sorry to interrupt whatever this is...” 

“...not that we don’t understand special parchments and all that…” Fred picked up the thread his brother left behind. “But your _ friend _seems to want to talk to you.” 

“...and we are polite like that.” George finished, a grin insinuating how far he believes the truth lies from his notion. 

Bouncing your attention between the twins to the blue-clad Ravenclaw standing behind George, you felt your nerves tingle. Without over-exaggeration, if someone were to hex off the roof, you might not notice with all the buzzing on your mind as your gaze locked with his, wind knocking out of you before you drew in a long inhale. 

“Good morning, Tae.” 

“Yes, good morning Taehyung.” Jin injected before hiding most of his face behind his mug, eyes displaying how much he enjoyed the scene. 

“‘Morning.” Tae raised a brow at the boys sitting around you staring at him, finding the attention unusual at best. “I was wondering whether I could talk to you for a minute?” 

“Sure.” You thanked the heavens to evenly get out the reply, stuffing your things back into your bag before standing up. “See you guys in Transfigurations.” 

“Yeah, I wonder,” Fred called after you with a snicker in his tone. 

You couldn’t really follow what is going on as you left the Great Hall, just making sure your steps were not too fast and not too slow either as you trailed after Tae, holding on to the strap of your bag with both hands. Much to your surprise he turned left towards the main entrance leading outside instead of the stairs, the heavy door opening with a deep creek. 

The morning sunlight was still as pale as it was at dawn, faintly warming your skin when it reached you as you strutted down the few steps leading to the grounds before Tae turned sharply right by the edge of the building, trailing along under the windows. The ground was solid and dry, void of colors as only small shards of grass were fighting for freedom here and there, spring promising its arrival a bit too early. 

“So… where are we going?” You asked, a bit timidly.

“Ah, I’m just randomly choosing.” He admitted, matching his steps to yours. His robe billowed with the fast pace and you wondered whether he feels cold or not while your emotions were raging with warmth under your clothes. 

“How unpredictable of you…?”

“Yeah, exactly.” 

Puzzled at the reply, you didn’t know what else to say. 

_ What are we doing exactly? _

The base of one of the towers rounded the building in a sharp turn, but instead of going on on the lanky hill towards the Quidditch pitch, Taehyung remained by the edge of the stones, only stopping in the nook the base of the tower formed with the rest of the castle. Confused by the halt, you were even more surprised when he pulled you closer by the material of your robes, lips on yours before you could blink. The momentum made your upper body land on his torso, but his back seemed to be supported by the wall behind him, his bag long gone from his shoulder as both his hands were cradling your jaw. 

It should’ve been surprising how you didn’t tense up further, but you automatically relaxed under his touch, the feeling of it all too nice to think straight. Humming as he traded your lips to trace a few warm kisses against your cheek, you let out a relieved laugh.

_ I guess it’s not that hard after all. _

“You okay?” He murmured, nuzzling his nose with yours. “You looked a little skittish back there.” 

“Yeah, I guess I was.” You muttered, breathing easier. “I’m not entirely sure why, but I couldn’t really sleep.” 

“Me neither.” He chuckled as his hands tightened behind your back, knotting under the curve of your waist. “It’s a bit scary, eh?” 

“Tae…” 

“Hm?” 

“What does this mean?” 

“I think it means we’re nervous. It’s not every day you figure things like this out.” He planted his chin on your shoulder while you snaked your hand under his arm to hold onto his shoulder. “I keep replaying it in my mind. And I’m happy with it. Are you?” 

“Mhmm.” You hummed with your eyes closed. “It’s just… a lot.” 

“What do you want to do?” He pulled back, giving enough space to look at you while his hands remained on your back. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well… do you want to tell the others? Can I pick you up after classes? Stuff like that.” 

Another wave of heat burned from your rib cage as you thought about it, very much imagining bits and pieces of what he just told you before you inhaled to answer. 

“To be honest, I already told Jin and Kookie. I didn’t really think about it, sorry about that.” 

The serious look he gave you slipped off as the corner of his lip curled upwards, his gaze glinting happily. 

“Ah, I thought that would… take longer.” 

“You’re not mad?” 

“No, I’m relieved.” His chest rumbled as he chuckled. “I thought I would have to jump through more hoops for that to happen. How did it go?” 

“Jin practically told me he has been waiting for years.” The bark of laughter elevated your stunned irritation a notch, clearly not finding it that amusing. “Why is that even funny, I had my whole world upside down this morning and that oaf just shrugged like it’s every day to find out your crush likes you back!” 

“Oooh, crush you say.” 

“That was not my point!” 

“Can I have it in writing?” 

“No!”

“Okay okay,” He grinned, letting his head rest on the stone wall with his chin tilted upwards as he savored the admission for a moment before looking back at you. “So Jin was not surprised whatsoever. But it was a positive reaction I gather?”

“Yeah, I think so. He was very kind about it.” 

“You thought he wouldn’t be?” 

“Meh, I don’t know. I was scared he would get mad. After everything.” 

“Jin would never get mad at you.” He shook his head. “But I’m glad he feels that way. Now for the difficult part, how did your little brother react? Hit me, I can take it.” 

“He was surprised…” You rolled the memory in your mind before glancing at him. However blank Tae kept his expression, his posture was tenser than a minute ago, paying close attention to you. “He said, and I quote ‘it’s a good fit’. But he’ll throw you in the lake if you mess up. Apparently, Yoongi called dibs on that too.” 

“Wonderful.” He nodded automatically, tone faltering. “Not that I wasn’t expecting this, but…” 

“I won’t let them.” You shook your head. “This has to be fair, I don’t care who says what.” 

“So if you mess up, Jimin can throw you in the lake?”

“Well, he can try. But I’ll probably fly off and never return.” You grinned up at him. 

“Thank you for that.” He muttered after a pause, chest rising as he inhaled deeply as the tip of his nose touched yours. 

“Don’t mention it.” You blinked at him, finding a birthmark in the line of his lower lashes. “I want you to be happy you know.” 

His hold tightened, hugging you so close your air trapped inside for a moment. Swiping a small peck by the corner of his lips, he was quick to match it, planting kiss after kiss. Hands untangling behind your back, moving upwards laying flat on your robe, your breaths mixed, practicing movement after movement, marveling at the different sensations. 

You were about to ask whether you’ll be late to first class when you heard a voice much closer than you could have anticipated, adrenalin dictating your hand to whip your wand as you cast a _ Protego totalum! _in a wide circle around you. You knew that voice, rising the fine hairs on your arm. Taehyung was murmuring something too, one hand staying on your waist to keep you from stepping away from him. Not recognizing the enchantments, you glanced up at him as a bubble vibrated around you every time he added something new. 

“What…” You began to whisper, but he put his index finger against your lip in warning, the wand in his hand close to your cheek as he watched the ground by the corner of the tower as two shadows reached under the sunlight. 

It took a few excruciatingly long seconds until the shadows gained their owners, two girls walking into the space near you were hiding in. It seemed they were unable to see you, eyes scanning the area. One more determined than the other, she walked far enough to look into every corner and tilt of wall with flaring nostrils. 

“Ells let's just go! It’s freezing and you know how Trelawney gets when we’re late! It’s all the way up the…” 

“Can you please stay quiet for one second?” Ellie frowned at the girl. “I know they left the castle, but I can’t figure out where would they go.” 

“What does it matter anyway? Maybe they went to Care of Magical Creatures.” 

“It matters because it matters to me! Both of them have Transfiguration now anyway, don’t be such an idiot.” She huffed at the dark-haired girl you recognized from the time you found out McGonagall was going to teach you animagus magic after Charms. She was the one standing by Ellie on top of the stairs, but the way she trailed after her friend, you suddenly felt a pang of sadness for her. Every thought she voiced was swiped away in an instant without hesitation or consideration. 

“Ellie, why don’t you just let it go? It’s not like she ever did something, they were good friends to begin with…” 

“Then would you please tell me why has she broken us up, huh? If she was _ such a good friend _ . It’s not like she was there for him when we got together. They didn’t even speak for months. So just please, _ please _, shut up so I can finally get a chance to find them!” 

She huffed as she marched out of view, leaving her friend behind without looking back. Standing there, the lone girl looked up at the sky for a moment before she left too, heading in the opposite direction where her supposed friend sped off. 

It was hard to tell how much time has passed as you stayed there, silent. Taehyung’s hand stayed near your hip bone, fingers pressed into your robe as he listened to the conversation, shallow breaths moving against your shoulder until they got deeper again when you were left alone in the darkening nook. Tilting your head to look up at him, you huffed a little, not marveling at the thought you were about to voice. 

“And then there is that too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> _Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home._


End file.
